All Will End
by FlamingDranzer
Summary: Kai was cunning, almost too cunning. Removed from his home country, he is thrown into American society in the blink of an eye. Can the phoenix evade the tiger's love? KaixRay
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: Although I don't own Beyblade or any of its characters, I do own the plot.  
Warnings: Violence, smoking  
Author's Note: I completely lost inspiration for my other fics at the moment, so I decided to revisit a fandom that I haven't visited in a while. I already have this entire fic planned out to every last detail. As of now, I'm planning on 32 chapters plus an epilogue at the end. I hope you enjoy reading this fanfic, and remember, reviews always make me happy, whether they are good or bad.**

**All Will End - Part 1: Learning to Trust**

**Chapter 1: Abuse **

He came from a small village in the country of Russia, a hamlet that tells of legends and prophecies even to this present day. His father had decided to move to the United States in search of a better life, leaving the bitter cold of Russia for a land drenched in sunlight. The journey had been so hard for the family that one member had paid the ultimate price for the survival of the rest. To this day, he never forgot her brave sacrifice for his own life.

His crimson eyes scanned the titles of the books in a desperate search for something that would be at least moderately interesting to read. His concentration, he noticed, was broken several times by the numerous stares directed at him. He knew his appearance was odd - blue hair wasn't exactly natural in this country, or in any country, for that matter, and his clothes being as dark as the night itself didn't help either. Regardless, he kept to himself to avoid any conflicts with the people in the library.

The dust in the library made him sneeze and cough uncontrollably, although the librarian seemed to be unaffected. As his eyes searched through the rest of the titles, he let out a soft sigh at coming out of his search empty-handed. He turned towards the entrance of the library when three words caught his eye: Edgar Allan Poe.

He was tempted to smile at the discovery of the book, but he kept his face emotionless. He calmly walked towards the book, confidently pulling it away from the others with his right hand. His crimson eyes met with the librarian's as he walked towards the check-out counter.

"I'd like to check out this book," he stated.

"Alright. Do you have a library card?" the librarian asked.

The teenager thought for a moment. He had a library card in his possession, but it was for a Russian library...

"No, I don't," the teenager admitted, refusing to beat around the bush.

"If you'd like, I could put you on the waiting list," the librarian offered. "This library has had so many requests for library cards lately that I've been unable to keep up with them all."

"Sure," the teenager agreed, keeping his eyes locked with the librarian's. "My name is Kai Hiwatari."

"Kai Hiwatari?" the librarian confirmed as she wrote down the name on a piece of paper. "That's not a common name."

"I'm from Russia. I only arrived here the other week," Kai stated.

"You speak English remarkably well," the librarian remarked as she stamped the date that the book was due on a card and stuck it inside of a small pocket inside of the book.

"My mother was from America, so she taught me English," Kai said, grabbing the book as the librarian handed it to him. "Thank you."

"No, thank _you_. Have a good day, Kai! Your library card should arrive in the mail in a few weeks," the libarian smiled at him.

Kai nodded as he walked out of the building, a copy of a book containing Poe's every written work in his hand.

**-------------**

Kai wiped beads of sweat from his forehead as he turned the page of the book. Despite sitting in the shade under a broad-leafed tree, the sheer humidity was too much for a body that was used to the bitter cold. Of all of the places in America, why did his father had to choose the hottest, he wondered. Kai had a vision in his mind, not of the black cat that Poe spoke about, but of instead of his father basking on the couch in a cool, air-conditioned living room. The thought caused him to scowl. Regardless of the luxuries the house had to offer, Kai was reluctant to return to his house.

It wasn't a home, by any means. It was only a house made out of bricks and wood. A home is a place where love was present, Kai remembered his mother saying. It was obvious that this new house in America had just about as much love as the outside world. His father certainly didn't help the transformation of house to home, Kai was certain.

As he finished reading the last few sentences of "The Black Cat," he lifted his eyes from the paper to watch the city's children play. Kai concluded that they had obviously been in the city for most, if not all, of their lives, explaining why they were able to play under the hot sun. While the children seemed to despise the shade, Kai seemed to dwell in it. Kai knew that if he were to return to his house that day, it would be only when the sun had set and the moon had risen. Although shadows weren't considered a blessing during Russia's winters, the shadows were a blessing when under a land ruled by a relentless sun.

Kai marked his spot in the book by folding the corner of the page ever-so-slightly before closing it. The village in Russia had been too poor to afford many books, and each child was taught to handle what books they had with extreme caution. Even though Kai no longer lived in Russia, some of the habits he had learned when in that country had followed him into America.

Kai supposed that he was lucky to be in America legally. Thanks to his mother, he was an American citizen. He was a Russian citizen as well due to his father. Kai realized that his days of dual-citizenship were numbered. From observing the other people in the city, he concluded that cars, and thus, a driving license, were necessary to survive. He was one of the few that lived in the poor section of the city that was in the country legally. Most of the people in the neighborhood were illegal Mexican immigrants, crossing the border with hopes for a better life.

Once again, Kai's used his arm to wipe away beads of sweat. Although warmth was needed during Russia's harsh winter, and thus black was a welcome color, black simply made one too warm in this city. He was certain that his black sleeveless shirt and black cargo pants with a black scarf weren't helping his situation. Even his feet were sweaty due to his combat boots. Although he was uncomfortable, he refused to let his memories of Russia die. He wanted to remember his heritage, not forget it like immigrants had to when they went through Ellis Island in the early 1900s.

The sun had finally set, much to Kai's relief. Simply sitting under a tree for the majority of the day had caused his legs to fall asleep hours ago, and when he stood with their assistance, caused an uncomfortable feeling of pins and needles. Stumbling slightly as his legs awoke, he began the journey to his house, once again reminded that it would never be a home.

**-------------**

The pain of shards of glass entering his skin would have been too much for most people, but Kai was used to such treatment. He glared at his drunken father, resisting the urge to strike back. No, he wouldn't fall to his father's level. He wouldn't lose his dignity and his honor as his father had.

Even when he saw his father pick up a pocket knife and ready it for violence, Kai's crimson eyes didn't widen even slightly. He knew that his father's intoxication would make him slow, and that taking the knife away from him would be a simple task. Kai feigned a punch directed at his father, causing the older man to raise his arms defensively. Kai smirked as he snatched the knife from his father's scarred hands. It was much too simple.

What Kai hadn't counted upon was his father to pull a broken vodka bottle out of seemingly nowhere and using it to slash open Kai's chest. Kai quickly ripped off the tattered remains of his sleeveless shirt, throwing them into his father's face. The drunken man began to swipe at the tattered remains with his bare hands, as if the shirt could kill. Kai watched with amusement as his father missed nearly every time - his father was definitely seeing at least double the true amount.

Using his father's confusion to his advantage, Kai quickly kicked his father in his knee, causing the drunken man to fall down. Kai smirked again as he hurriedly dashed up the stairs to his room and threw on another sleeveless black shirt. After throwing on the too-tight shirt, he locked his bedroom door before sitting on his twin-sized bed, gazing at the moon and starry sky. He knew that his father wasn't the brightest crayon in the box, even when he was sober. When the door was locked, Kai was safe. The thought of knocking the door down had never crossed his father's mind in sixteen years, much to Kai's amusement.

In Russia, the village elders had taught Kai that injuring your parents was a horrible act. As a result, Kai had never cut open his father with a knife or injure him in that manner. When Kai went to the village elders for advice on dealing with his father's violent acts, the elders had told him that injuring your parents for the sake of survival was not to be frowned upon. The survival of the next generation would always be the first priority when the parents attacked their children. A village elder, skilled in martial arts, had taught Kai how to knock down a large opponent with a single blow to the knee. Kai, as he grew older, had perfected the technique. It would have been to his father's dismay should his father ever had been sober enough to remember the numerous times his face met with the floor.

Kai fumbled around in his pocket for his pack of cigarettes and a lighter. The law in America forbid him to purchase cigarettes, but cunning Kai had managed to make common street thugs make the purchase for him. Kai found it strange that anyone could buy a lighter, however. American law was strange, he thought as he inhaled, sending smoke into his lungs. It wasn't a forbidden activity in his village - almost everyone did it - but in this city, everyone seemed to be on an anti-drug, anti-smoking campaign. Kai couldn't see why it mattered - as long as he smoked in private, where no one else could inhale the second-hand smoke, it shouldn't matter to them.

As he tossed his cigarette out the window, the crash of a falling door caught his attention. That was Kai's main problem when he smoked - he became oblivious to everything around him; he even became careless around his father. Before Kai had time to react, he found himself struggling to breathe as his father dragged him down the stairs by his scarf.

He could have just undid the knot that kept the scarf around his neck, but it would have ashamed him to do so. It was a gift from his mother, and he refused to let anything happen to anything that she had given him. And with those beliefs, he increased his own suffering at his father's hand.

Kai, running on adrenaline, searched for a way to escape his father's grasp. With both hands struggling to keep the scarf away from his neck so he would be able to breathe, removing even one hand for just a second could close off his supply of air. His legs, limply dragging on the floor, were too far away from any part of his father's body to assist in anyway. Kai knew what to do in a hopeless situation - one would have to endure the pain until an opportunity presents itself.

Luckily for Kai, the opportunity presented itself not too long after he had been dragged down the stairs by his father. Kai felt relieved as the front door opened, despite the pain shooting up his back from being thrown onto the sidewalk. Kai glared at his father, not feeling the least bit threatened by the gun in his hand - Kai himself had unloaded and disposed of the ammo in it beforehand.

His father cursed at him in Russian, something that would translate roughly to, "Go now, before I blow your head off."

Kai pushed himself off the ground, daring his father to shoot him. He smirked when his father pressed the trigger, but nothing happened. He felt amused when his father turned away to enter the house, cursing at the turn of events. How stupid his father could be.

There was no hurry, Kai realized, to escape to a safe place. His father was dumb; it would take him an eternity to find something to harm Kai with. Then, when he did find something, Kai would have already been long gone, anyhow. Feeling somewhat safe, Kai let his feet carry him to the local park. There, he noticed a forest nearby. The fog around it provided for a mystical atmosphere, but it didn't phase Kai. Fear wasn't even present in his heart as he walked into the forest.

**-------------**

Relaxation was the only thing running through his mind as he laid on the ground with a long blade of grass in his mouth. He was in a neck of the woods that was located far enough away from the city to prevent anyone from finding him, yet it was close enough to allow for an hour or so walk before he reached the city sidewalks.

Within the first few hours that he had found this spot of heaven, he had quickly thrown together a shelter, a technique passed through the Russian village in case anyone would be stuck outside in the cold. Of course, the terrain and plants weren't exactly the same as Russia's, but the same basic principles applied: get a roof over your head and a fire going.

Kai was certain that the roof over his head, made of pine needles, would be sufficient enough to keep out the rain. Even if his hypothesis were proven false, a little rain wouldn't phase him as much as the snow had. If one couldn't figure out if Kai was cunning and resourceful, one glimpse of the small living area would practically spell it out. Despite being in the middle of nowhere, there was still human trash lying about. Kai had found several old, plastic bags on the ground. He stuffed them full of pine needles to make himself a firm mattress.

Even Kai knew that he wouldn't be able to escape the unstoppable flow of time, but that was where his watch came in. It was an heirloom from his mother - it was only 10 years old and made of the best technology that Russia had to offer at the time. The battery was newly replaced in it, so there was no fear of having it die on him any time soon. Kai dug the watch out of his pocket and set the alarm to five in the morning: it would be an hour walk to the city, not including the time needed to bathe and eat. School began at eight in the morning, so he would have plenty of time to get awake and ready, even if he would happen to wake up a little bit late.

While his basic needs were taken care of, there arose some other problems, like clothing and obtaining food. Kai wasn't too familiar with the bushes and trees around the forest, and the berries on the bushes could prove to be poisonous, possibly even deadly. There was no sure way of telling for sure.

When it came to clothing, Kai only had the clothes that he was wearing currently. He couldn't wear the same clothes everyday - they would smell disgusting eventually, and he couldn't forget that there was something inside of his mind that protested against wearing dirty clothes.

Kai was aware of his father's new job: it would take him out of the house until late at night, and it began early in the morning. Kai knew that he would be able to return to his house after school, just long enough to grab a bite to eat and some clothes to wear. As soon as he would hear his father enter the house, he would sneak out his bedroom window and retreat to the forest. It was a plan that would seem irrational to most, but wouldn't the idea of sleeping in a forest every night seem irrational as well?

Before closing his crimson eyes, he reached under his shirt and grabbed the phoenix pendant that dangled from a thin, silver chain.

**---------------------------------------**

**Author's Note: And there is the first chapter! I hope you enjoyed reading it. If you enjoyed reading it, or even if you didn't, feel free to leave a review. I take all opinions, and critique is optional and welcomed. And even if you don't leave a review, thank you for reading anyway!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Beyblade or any of its characters. However, I do own the plot.  
Warnings: Slight language  
Author's Note: So, here we go, the second chapter. Out of 32. 33 if you count the epilogue. I'd like to thank everyone who read Chapter 1, and I hope everyone enjoys the second chapter!**

**All Will End - Part 1: Learning to Trust**

**Chapter 2: Fight Me, Break Me**

"...Only fifteen students?" Kai asked himself quietly as he observed the homeroom list. Luckily, he managed to find his homeroom relatively quickly. There was only one thing that he wanted at the moment, and it was to escape the thick crowd of students. Kai supposed that the students had forgotten their homerooms or the papers weren't posted until the morning of the first day.

There was only fifteen students in his homeroom, much to his surprise. In Russia, he had heard stories of homerooms having over thirty students. Kai couldn't even imagine how crowded the classroom would have been. Teachers never were paid enough, at least, that was Kai's opinion. He had told others that trying to learn is useless without someone to teach. It is a shame that people just don't listen.

"Of all the colors..." Kai muttered as he entered the high school. Kai could've sworn that he had entered an asylum instead, the rationale being the sheer amount of white covering the walls and floor. Although there were occasional tiles of blue on the floor, it was nowhere near enough to offset the white.

A glance at the clock told him that he had five minutes to locate his homeroom. Despite having left his hand-made home rather early this morning, trying to push his way through the crowd of students slowed his pace to a crawl. Even if he was unable to locate his homeroom within five minutes, he could just reason with the teacher that he was a new student, a student that wasn't even born in America! Culture shock would be a good reason for tardiness, at least for the first week of school.

"D-110" was what he thought to himself as he frantically searched the hallways for the classroom. Despite the student's clamor of having to return to school, Kai managed to overhear a conversation between two teenage boys.

"What homeroom are you in, Tyson?" one teenager asked. His hair was as black as night and pulled away from his face, as if to show off his golden eyes. Kai risked a glance at the teenager and noticed the ying-yang printed on the tight, white sleeveless shirt. Apart from the shirt and his crimson ying-yang headband (and of course, his golden eyes), he seemed to be an ordinary person.

"I don't know, Ray," the other teenager responded. "Max said he'd find me when he found out." Tyson had a unique fashion sense, Kai noticed. A yellow t-shirt was underneath a red, short-sleeved jacket, which hung down to his jeans. A red and white hat was trying to tame the messy black hair but was failing miserably.

Ray sighed. "I'm in D-110 this year. The teacher absolutely hates me."

"Same," Tyson agreed. "She took off a random point of my math quiz. I even got Kenny to check the math for me, and she randomly took a point off. If she didn't take the point off, I would've passed."

"I don't like her, but since I'll be dealing with her until next June...I better make sure I get to homeroom soon. I don't want to be killed if I walk in the room one second late."

With that, Ray turned around and accidentally bumped into Kai. Gold met crimson for a brief moment as Ray looked up at Kai from the ground. The impact had not affected Kai, although it had caused the other teenager to fall to the ground. Other teenagers watched the scene intently, whispering amongst themselves whether or not the "new kid" is a bully.

"I'm sorry," Ray stammered. "I didn't see you there. I should be more careful."

"Yes, you should," Kai agreed quietly. He watched as Ray pushed himself to his feet, observing how Ray's muscles flexed with the relatively simple movement. Every muscle in the body is like a part of a machine. If one piece doesn't work, the machine cannot function.

"Sorry again for bumping into you. I'll see you around!" Ray chirped, trying to forget the entire incident. Kai shook his head and followed the raven-haired teenager. After all, Ray was in the same homeroom that Kai had been assigned. And being unfamiliar with the layout of the school, Kai figured it would be in his own best interest to follow the teenager.

As he had planned, Ray had led him directly to their homeroom, D-110, a room where many students would be tortured with math problems and difficult algebra within a week. Kai almost smirked at the thought. Though he hailed from a small village, he had managed to get a hold of enough books to learn the concepts of mathematics and science. If his father wasn't a drunken bastard, surely he would be proud of his son. Well, his father would be proud of his son, but only after the teenager tossed him a few bottles of vodka. It might only last an hour, but still...

Kai had entered the room and chosen a seat in the back of the classroom at the desk closest to the window - and the air conditioning. As of now, the school appeared to have a functional air conditioning system, but in the afternoon, whether or not the air conditioning would still be on remains a mystery to the majority of the student body. Kai noted that the same raven-haired teenager had taken a seat on his right. "If this guy turns out to be annoying, I don't think I could resist the urge to _strangle_ him," Kai thought as he pondered the long year (well, about nine months) ahead of him.

To him, the school was just plain weird. Or maybe, it was the other way around. "Nah," Kai thought, "Must be the school. The Americans _did_ elect George W. Bush Jr. twice..."

As hard as he tried, he couldn't ignore the hushed whispers surrounding him. After all, it is hard to ignore someone if they whisper about you...when you're still in earshot. Kai singled out one boy - the boy appeared to be a nerd, anyway - and gave him the almighty, infamous Glare of Death, which seemed to be a genetic trait in the Hiwatari family. The nerdy teenager gulped nervously and proceeded to turn around to face the blackboard. Kai was so tempted to smirk at the teenager's reaction but ultimately decided against it. After all, it seemed to be an obligation to be nice to everyone on the first day.

The bell rang at eight, precisely. He watched obliviously as the other students hurried to their feet, staring at the American flag.

"Young man," the teacher began, observing Kai's appearance, "You must stand during the moment of silence and Pledge of Allegiance."

"The what?" Kai responded, raising an eyebrow. "I'm new here -"

"I don't care if this is your first year, young man. You must stand during the moment of silence and Pledge of Allegiance."

"How should I know of your customs? I'm not even from this country," Kai growled. "I'm Russian, and I came to this country a few days ago."

"Really?" the teacher asked, her suspicions confirmed. He _did_ seem a bit out of the ordinary. "I apologize. I wasn't aware."

"Now, you are," Kai stated, noticing Ray was watching the argument between teacher and student. More specifically, the golden orbs laid upon Kai. Ignoring the feeling of being watched, he shifted his eyes to the desk while the other students spoke the Pledge of Allegiance. "No," Kai thought, "I'm still loyal to my country. I will not be a traitor."

Even after the students sat down, the atmosphere of the room was pure tension. The students eyes seemed to be glued to Kai - it was as if they had never seen anyone so pale. After all, most of the immigrants or foreigners were of Mexican descent, due to being so close to the border.

"Hey," Ray whispered, looking at Kai intently. Kai got the hint, and his crimson eyes met gold. Ray shivered under the intensity of those eyes. It was as if the pure essence of fire resided in those eyes, as if they could light a fire just by looking at an object. "You're from Russia?"

Kai nodded, waiting for Ray to continue.

"Cool. I'm from China," Ray said, closing his eyes to shake off a nostalgic feeling. "I came here a few years back. Let me give you some advice - people here don't like anyone...different."

"..." Kai thought about the presented information. Kai had already suspected that the people in the area didn't have open minds, but Ray's words had proven his hypothesis correct.

The teacher had been cut off in mid-sentence by the sound of a ringing bell. The students beamed at being freed from what they called, "The Devil's Torture Chamber." Even Ray had smiled, if only slightly. However, Kai's face was as expressionless as it had ever been. One could swear that Kai never felt any emotion, until they looked at the blazing fire in his eyes. That fire was a symbol of his passion, although what the passion was for was as mysterious as the origin of life.

Kai glanced at the schedule that the teacher had given him when he was listening to Ray. A single word caught his eye: Geometry. He had never learned geometry by himself, due to the extensive amount of dedication needed, and also the lack of time he had to study. He had learned the basics, but anything advanced was out of his league. He looked at the room numbers as he passed them, noticing a pattern forming. Since his geometry class was in the B Hallway, and the room numbers were beginning with a B with three numbers afterwards, he had determined that this must be the B hallway.

Upon spotting the room number of his class and proving his newest hypothesis to be true, he gracefully walked into the room, only to find that Ray was in the class as well! Ray was standing in the front corner of the room, chatting with friends, while Kai was busy finding a seat in the back. Much to his dismay, Ray had watched him enter the room, and eagerly, he took a seat beside the blue-haired teenager.

"At least there's someone I know in this class," Ray muttered, sighing softly afterwards. He noticed Kai's questioning look. "Those people up front, I really don't know them all that well. My mother's been trying to get me to find friends, but there's no one who will accept me for who I am. I hate putting on an act."

"Do you know math terms?" Ray asked, only to be answered by a shake of Kai's head. "Mind if I help you?" Kai didn't respond to that question. Why ask a student when you can get definite answers from the teacher of the course?"

Ten minutes ticked by, and then another five. Fifteen minutes had passed, yet the teacher had not come to class. The students began to relax - being in school was bad enough, but it gets easier when you get a breather that's longer than three or four minutes. Kai, though, honestly couldn't care less about whether or not the teacher showed. As long as everyone left him alone, he was fine.

"Hey, look at the Russian!" Speak of the devil.

"Better not make him angry, or he'll throw a tantrum at you," another student jeered. Ray watched the teasing unfold, unsure of whether or not to intervene.

Before Kai realized it, the whole class was shouting offending comments at him. Angered, he stood up suddenly, causing the class to take a step back. Clearly, they could feel the anger radiating from his body and the flames within his crimson eyes. Normally, it would have been enough to quiet down anyone, but people become cocky when in numbers.

"Aww...the poor wittle Russian getting mad?" a student teased. All eyes shifted to Ray when he suddenly stood up and walked over to Kai.

"That's enough!" Ray shouted. Kai concluded that Ray must not lose his temper much, for the students were surprised.

"Have you really stooped that low?" Ray asked, the pupils of his eye narrowing like a cat's. "There's no reason to be picking on Kai! He didn't do anything to you."

"Ray must be the Russian's boyfriend!" a student smirked, causing an uproar of laughter.

Although Kai was now looking at Ray curiously, Ray could feel no hatred or anger flowing towards himself. Convinced that Kai accepted the offer of help, Ray opened his mouth to continue, only to be cut off by the harsh sound of Kai's voice.

"You," Kai pointed at the leader of the group. "Quiet down your lackeys before you come out of here with your _limbs_ torn off."

"Is that a threat?" Despite trying to make himself appear confident, the teenager's voice was cracking.

"No, it's a promise," Ray corrected, cracking his knuckles.

Suddenly cocky, the student walked forward, with his lackeys close behind. What he wasn't expecting was to be punched in the face by a Russian. The leader watched the battle from below as bodies charged at the Russian and Chinese duo, only to fall down or fly backwards onto the floor. Several thumps were heard as heads and limbs were banged off of desks. To a casual passerby, it would be a disturbing scene.

Finally, the last of the students laid on the ground, rubbing his bruised arm. Ray sighed with relief as he looked at Kai, who seemed to be in fine condition.

"Hey, you alright?" Ray asked, attempting to put his hand on Kai's shoulder.

"Fine," Kai replies, brushing the hand away.

"You know, not everyone's this mean -" Ray was cut off by an angry Russian.

"Don't give me bull," Kai warned, glaring at him before walking out of the classroom. Ray ran after him, only to speed up when he saw Kai running from the building. They ran for what Ray believed to be miles. They had left school grounds without permission, but punishment was the last thing on Ray's mind. His first priority was the teenager running from the chaos in the classroom.

Finally, when Ray thought his heart was about to burst, Kai stopped running and sat on a bench, pulling a pack of cigarettes and a lighter from his pocket. Ray sat next to the blue-haired teenager, looking at him with sad eyes. "You know, smoking's not good for you..." Ray said quietly, shifting his gaze towards the ground.

Kai shrugged, then said, "Well, neither is picking a fight with the wrong guy."

"What? I wasn't trying to pick a fight with you!"

"I'm not stupid. You were trying to pick a fight with the other kid."

"Still..." Ray sighed, having run out of things to say. He was trying to stand up from the crimson eyed teenager, although he was picking a fight in the process.

A moment of silence passed between the two. Ray thought he was going to cough from the amount of smoke that one cigarette produced. _That_ definitely couldn't be good for Kai's lungs...or his own, for that matter.

"This may sound odd, but would you like to stay at my house tonight?" Ray asked, his gaze shifting upwards to Kai.

"No thanks," Kai said quietly, stamping the cigarette under his foot.

"It'll be fun!" Ray insisted, resisting an urge to cling to the other teenager's arm. "Besides, we'll get to know each other better. I know how hard it is to be the new kid, especially if you're not from here."

"It's not odd that you want me to come home with you, but you don't even know my name?" Kai asked. Ray could've sworn that Kai was amused.

"Fine. I'm Ray," Ray sighed, slouching against the bench. He looked up with surprise when Kai suddenly stood up and began walking towards the forest. "Wait! Aren't you going to tell me your name?"

"...The name's Kai," Kai stated as he disappeared into the depths of the woods.

**---------------------------------------**

**Author's Note: Yay, that was fun. It took forever to finish, though. It took three or four sittings to finish because of all my homework. Poor Kai...Ray's hitting on him, and he doesn't even know it. Ray should really be more obvious with his hints. Thanks for reading the chapter, and remember that reviews of all types (including flames) are welcomed.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I don't own Beyblade or any of its characters, although I own the plot.  
Warnings: Slight language.  
Author's Note: This chapter is a bit shorter than the last two, just so everyone knows.**

**All Will End - Part 1: Learning to Trust  
Chapter 3: Raising Hell**

The light of the rising sun irritated his sensitive crimson eyes. He found himself sitting in the back of the room of his study hall, being tormented by bullies. Upon arriving to school, he located the teachers that he hadn't seen the day before and received his textbooks from them, giving him an undeniably large pile of textbooks sitting upon his desk. Though he didn't have enough money to buy a backpack (food was a necessity and took most of his money), his muscular arms had no problem holding the alarmingly thick pile by his side.

The story of Kai's fight had quickly circulated around the school, causing the students to bully Kai only if they had been dared to. One student had been given a black eye from Kai's lack of mercy. When being threatened, mercy is the last thing you think about. When fighting, logic and reason is forgotten, pushed to the side by the most primitive instincts. Eventually, when you regain control of yourself and your logic returns, and you realize what you did, it's hard to forgive yourself. Unless you're Kai, that is.

Kai stood up and moved to the front of the room, sensing the period was about to end. He returned his teacher's affable wave of the hand and focused upon the task of counting down the seconds until the bell rang. He couldn't understand why he desired the bell to ring. It wasn't like he had anything to look forward to, anyway. Well, that isn't exactly true. After his lunch period, he only has two more periods left to the day. Too bad his last period was geometry, due to the two periods of geometry per day requirement...

Finally, after the long three minute wait, the sound of a ringing school bell reached his ears. His dash out of the classroom appeared to be almost eager, a trait that Kai wasn't known for. He went to the end of the hallway and turned left to walk down the stairs, going down two steps at a time. Whoever said that being tall was a disadvantage? While he wasn't exactly the tallest man in the world, he _did_ have long legs.

The stairs led him directly to the cafeteria, although he wouldn't have known that if it wasn't for his keen sense of smell. The smell of burning beef (presumably for tacos) drifted to his nose, causing him to frown slightly in disgust. "I'm surprised they didn't set off the fire alarm..." Kai muttered, shaking his head.

"I know. You'd expect it, right?" Uh-oh. Kai knew that voice. It belonged only to the Asian teenager, Ray Kon.

Kai nodded, waiting for Ray to continue speaking.

"Hey, why don't you sit with my friends at lunch today? They're a nice bunch," Ray tried to persuade Kai, he really did, but the phoenix wouldn't be persuaded so easily.

"I'm sure they are," Kai scoffed, shifting his books to his other arm.

"Believe me, they're the only ones who accepted me in this entire school for a few years. Come on, Kai, give them a chance," Ray pleaded, extending his hand to touch Kai's shoulder.

Kai shrugged off the hand when it touched him, and with a shake of his head and a sigh, he admitted defeat wordlessly. Ray beamed with happiness as he grabbed Kai's forearm and dragged him to the table. "Hyper, much?" Kai thought to himself. "Or bipolar..."

It wasn't long before Kai found himself in front of a group of four teenagers, five if you included Ray.

"Hey, look who the cat dragged in?" a blond haired teenager giggled, trying to be funny. Anyone who knew Ray knew that he was cat-like.

"Heh! Good one, Max!" another teenager giggled. Kai recognized this person as Tyson, who had been talking with Ray on the first day of school in the hallway.

"Ha, ha. Very funny," Ray smiled, though sarcasm was evident in his voice. "This is Kai. He's the new student here."

A teenager, this one a girl, turned her attention to the Russian. "Kai? Kai Hiwatari? I've heard about him! He gave a kid a black eye for no good reason!"

"Yeah...scary stuff," Max shivered, apparently not making the connection in his mind. Meanwhile, in Kai's mind, he was wondering just how naive this Max boy was. "That Kai is scary, isn't he, Hilary?"

"Ow! My jaw!" Tyson shouted, grasping his jaw with his hands, apparently in pain. A smaller teenager lifted his eyes from his laptop and said, "Gee, Tyson...Hilary may be the Drama Queen, but you're the Drama King."

"Thanks, Chief," Tyson frowned, trying to remove the pain from his jaw.

Ray, becoming impatient, cleared his throat. "Thanks for the interruption, guys. Anyway, I was thinking that Kai could sit with us. You don't have a problem with it, do you, Tyson?"

With suddenly serious eyes, Tyson studied Kai. Black sleeveless shirt, black cargo pants, combat boots, a black scarf, blue facepaint. Blue hair, red eyes. Introverted and had a smoker's cough. Looking towards the floor, Tyson said quietly, "I don't know, Ray. I just get the vibe I can't trust him."

"It took you that long!?" Hilary shouted, her eyes narrowing. "He beat up kids for no reason, and just look at him! He looks like he's about to slit his wrists, and ours, at any moment!"

"Hey, calm down," Max coaxed, placing a hand on Hilary's shoulder. "You can't judge someone based on how they dress."

"What right do you have to judge Kai before you know him!" Ray demanded, his golden eyes narrowing as well. "He's completely different than what you think he is! You gave me a chance, but why won't you give him one!"

"That's it!" Hilary shouted, getting up from her chair and stomping her foot on the ground in anger. "I'm going to sit with my _other_ friends, the ones that don't bring psychotic killers to lunch with them!"

"Then, go!" Ray shouted, trying to resist the primitive instinct to growl at the teenager. "If you're going to raise Hell -"

"- Me, raise Hell?" Hilary asked, her voice loud. "That's the Antichrist's job. You know, the guy standing next to you."

Max, Tyson, and Chief watched helplessly as Hilary walked away, almost knocking a lunch off the table as she went back to her other friends. While Ray was trembling with anger, Kai was beginning to back away from the group. He had disturbed the natural order of the group of friends. They weren't supposed to be fighting, but his presence had caused a war to break out.

Disappointed with himself, he gracefully turned on his heel to exit the cafeteria. Ray, meanwhile, was taking no notice as to what the Russian was doing. Ray could have a knife pressed to his throat at that moment and not notice until the blood stained his sleeveless shirt.

Chief, or Kenny, as his parents named him, went back to playing a game of solitaire on his laptop. Ray could only describe Kenny in three words: submissive, intelligent, and shy. He was the computer geek of the group of friends, with computers being his only interest. As a result, he repeatedly had to help Tyson open a word processing program on his computer so he could type a report. Tyson's papers were so riddled with errors that even the computer couldn't pick them all up. Kenny, if not for his laptop, would have been labeled a prep in Ray's eyes. His shirt was a preppy white polo, but his khaki shorts with knee high socks and blue slip-on shoes ruined the preppy image.

Tyson Granger was the leader of the group. He could be described as the typical hero: hotheaded, impatient, and courageous. Unlike Ray, Tyson didn't have many interests. His hobbies included food, food, and more food. He was a big eater, and it always surprised Ray that Tyson had a normal weight for his age. Tyson either must be very lucky or possesses an abnormally high metabolism. Some people wondered if Tyson was colorblind, due to his blinding fashion sense, no pun intended. He was simple when it came to clothes, choosing a red jacket thrown over a yellow t-shirt with a teenager's typical attire of blue jeans and red and white sneakers.

Max Tate was, and remains, the most optimistic teenager of the group of friends. He was extremely optimistic - he believed his parents would remained married for the rest of their lives, even though his mother lived in America and his father in Japan, both working for big companies. Regardless of the somewhat lonely life he had, Max is extremely friendly, maybe too friendly. He was also naive, very naive at times. Unlike Tyson, Max dressed half-way normal - a white and green t-shirt, blue jeans, and green and white sneakers.

Hilary Tachibana was the most recent newcomer of the group before Ray came. Like Kenny, she was smart, being close to the top of her class. However, she was outspoken and bossy. Much to Ray's dismay, she had a habit of jumping to conclusions quickly. Ray wondered if she came from a line of prostitutes - there's nothing more revealing than her black tanktop, short blue shirts, and her orange and white shoes. Ray thought that the amount of skin she showed off was just plain disgusting. And most guys at the school didn't blame him.

Ray, acting on a whim, looked to his left only to find the blue haired teenager out of sight. Sighing, he sat down in a chair next to Tyson, trying to ignore the bits of chewed up food flying his way. Seriously, couldn't Tyson chew with his mouth closed?

"I'm sorry that Hilary acted that way, Ray," Max said quietly, wincing at the amount of food flying from Tyson's mouth. The fight between Hilary and Ray had obviously affected Max in some way.

"It's alright, Max. You know how Hilary is," Ray sighed, closing his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose. He could already feel a migraine coming, and it wasn't even geometry class yet...

"'It's alright?'" Tyson quoted, swallowing his food. "She just totally gave Kai a buffet full of bitchiness."

"How you relate anything to food..." Kenny muttered, wiping pieces of half-chewed food off of his laptop's screen with a napkin, careful not to damage the screen. "But you're right. That wasn't fair. Kai didn't even do anything to us."

"He didn't even stand up for himself," Ray noticed, sighing again.

"Some people don't," Kenny shrugged, closing his laptop. Apparently, the battery was running low.

"Like Chief here!" Max chirped, grinning playfully at Kenny. "But still...I wonder why he's so quiet."

"Could it be he doesn't speak English well?" Tyson asked, wiping the sweat from his forehead. The air conditioning, apparently, had quit working.

"No, he speaks it fine. At least, I think he does," Ray responds. "Then again, you know how bad my English is sometimes..."

"We know how bad Tyson's Spanish is sometimes, too, don't we, Ty?" Max grinned playfully at Tyson.

"You're on a roll today, Maxie!" Tyson said. The group of friends always teased each other playfully. No one ever took it seriously.

"Sabemos, sabemos," Kenny smiled. At Tyson's confused expression, he translated. "'We know, we know.' We learned that verb on Monday, Tyson."

"It's odd...how he seems not to trust anyone," Ray muttered, closing his eyes. "I wonder if something happened to him."

"Maybe he's just a sourpuss," Tyson shrugged, swallowing a large portion of almost not edible school food.

"I don't think so," Ray thought, slouching down in his seat.

**---------------------------------------**

**Author's Note: Yeah, this chapter was shorter than the others. Hopefully the double update makes up for it! Feel free to send a review if you'd like. **


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I don't own Beyblade or any of its characters, although I own the plot.  
Warnings: Slight language, slight violence. Nothing too bad.  
Author's Note: I just downloaded this word processor called Jarte, and so far I've been thrilled with it, especially after writing with only Wordpad and Notepad for the longest time...yay for spellcheck!**

**All Will End - Part 1: Learning to Trust**

**Chapter 4: Trusting a Tiger **

The warmth from the sun was delightful to some, horrible for others, especially if those other people were wearing all black! There was only one person in the entire population of Phoenix that could be associated with those "other people." That person was none other than the newly arrived Russian, Kai Hiwatari.

Currently, Kai was frowning at the sun and the bright light it gave off. As if it wasn't already hot enough for poor Kai, who was clad in the darkest color of all. The air conditioning in his high school had already broken down, right in the middle of his English class. Of course, the English hallway had to be located on the second floor, where heat tended to collect during the afternoon. Kai cursed his luck, whatever he had left of it, anyway.

He was surprised that he made it through that class, truthfully. The teacher had asked him if he was hot wearing so much black, but Kai had sarcastically responded with numerous beads of sweat dripping from his forehead. If it wasn't for the sheer humidity of the room, he would've sworn that he was blushing.

Thankfully, the bell rang soon after the technological malfunction, and Kai found himself sitting in geometry class on the first floor. It was a drag having geometry for two periods a day, but the only positive side was that it was located on the first floor, which was remarkably cooler than the second. It was almost comfortable for the Russian, almost being the key word. It had never reached that temperature in Russia for a long, long time, and Kai had found himself unprepared.

Almost considered a desert by some, there were hardly any trees to provide shade for the sweaty Russian. The few trees that were in the city were either located on private property or in peoples' yards, two places Kai had forbid himself to enter unless necessary. There were a few cactuses scattered about in the outskirts of the city, but what good would a cactus do? It couldn't provide shade without harming Kai in some sadistic way.

As if his day couldn't get any worse, Kai could have sworn he was dying when he heard the excited voice of Max call his name. "What else can go wrong?" Kai caught himself wondering.

"Hey, Kai!" Max shouted, although Kai was only a foot away from him. Kai could have sworn that, in addition to dying, he was also going deaf. "Woe is me..." Kai thought to himself, trying to remain as stoic as he could in the hot weather.

"Hi..." Kai cautiously replied, worrying that any sudden movement or speech would send Max into a deadly hyper spree. "...This guy's nuts..." Kai thought, listening to Max speak.

"And then, Hilary was getting all worked up - Hey, look at that! Hi, pretty bird! Where was I?" Max asked, pouting as he struggled to remember his previous train of thought. Poor naive Max would never be able to figure out that his previous train of thought was probably in some oblivion, never to be seen again.

"...You were at the part where you would announce your departure," Kai said, trying to act as if he was trying to remember as well.

"Yeah, that's right - Hey! Kai! That's not funny!" Max pouted, crossing his arms over his chest. "It wouldn't kill you to be social once in a while."

Max shivered as he noticed the phoenix's crimson eyes watching him suspiciously and nervously, as if watching for any sign of attack. Max shifted his eyes lower, noticing how Kai's muscles were tensed as if ready for battle. Kai was acting as he always had around people - suspicious and nervous and ready for battle.

"I'm sorry, Kai," Max muttered, kicking a pebble off the sidewalk. "I was just trying to help you be seem less awkward around people."

"I'm awkward?" Kai asked, not believing his ears. "Tyson is the one who's awkward. Look at his clothes."

"There's nothing wrong with being awkward!" Max tried to extinguish Kai's anger before it could grow any larger. "Nothing's wrong with you."

At that moment, Kai felt something inside of him snap. Whatever self control he had was thrown out the window in that moment. His rage had grown to an unbelievable point, causing his body to shake as he tried to restrain himself.

"Nothing wrong with me!" Kai shouted, his eyes narrowing dangerously. Max took a step back, feeling extremely threatened.

"Nothing wrong with me!" Kai repeated, this time louder. "That's bull, Maxy, and you know it."

"It's not -" Max started but cut himself off. Even if he wasn't around his father or mother, he removed to say anything that could be considered a curse word.

"If it wasn't, why am I here!" Kai shouted, his hands changing into fists. "Why do I live with an abusive bastard who gets pleasure out of torturing me, nearly killing me! Why am I forced to do his bidding and steal vodka from stores! Something's wrong with me, and you know it. That's why I'm being punished."

"Kai..." Max tried to hold back the tears that gathered at his eyes. "Let me help you."

"No!" the phoenix shrieked, slapping away Max's hand. Even though it had been extended to him as a signal of hope...

Max watched with horror as the troubled teenager dashed away, leaving Max alone in the rain. The rain mingled with his tears as he fell to the ground, helplessly sobbing. How do you help someone who doesn't want to be helped? How do you save someone who believes they're being punished just for being alive?

Max dug out his cell phone from his back pocket, using his fingers to dial the numbers, even though they were shaking with an unknown emotion. After a few tries, Max had finally gotten the number right. The phone on the other line rung a few times before someone picked up.

"Hello?" a familiar voice asked, sounding slightly cheery despite the rain.

"Ray, you need to find Kai," Max said with a serious tone. "He's in trouble."

"What do you mean?" Ray asked, alarmed. "He wasn't arrested or anything, was he?"

"No, but...he just completely lost it! You know those two people that moved in a few days before school? That house belongs to Kai and his father. Kai's going to get _killed_ if he goes there!"

"Max, go home. I'll find Kai." After those final words from Ray, Max closed his cell phone and shoved it into his pocket.

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Kai was an expert at running, but he seemed to run better without snow on the ground. That was why he was barreling towards his father's abusive household at an unbelievable speed. "Why go back?" a voice had asked him as he ran. "You'll only die," it reasoned. "It's all my fault," Kai responded. "I need to be punished for my lack of self control."

Kai suddenly found himself laying on the concrete sidewalk, the skin on his elbows ripped off from the impact. He had banged his head as he fell, and with slightly blurred vision, he looked upwards to meet golden eyes.

"What are you doing here?" Kai demanded, struggling to get to his feet. However, Ray wouldn't let him and gently pushed him down with a foot.

"I should ask you the same thing," Ray responded, his voice gentle as if talking to a child.

"Let me go," Kai demanded, his eyes narrowing into his infamous glare. However, it didn't affect Ray this time.

"No. I can't let you get yourself killed," Ray reasoned, kneeling down next to the troubled teenager.

"I don't care if I live or die," Kai growled as he struggled to get to his feet. He found that all strength had left his body, and with a large blow to his pride, he fell back down onto the sidewalk.

"Well, I do. Friends don't let friends get killed," Ray said gently, looking at Kai with intense eyes.

"I'm not your friend, so what does it matter?" Kai challenged, glaring.

"You're my friend, even though I'm not yours. So, I still can't let you get killed," Ray responded. "Trust me, Kai. If you let that place behind you, everything would be so much better."

"Trust? I don't do 'trust,'" Kai said, tired.

"Trust me," Ray encouraged. "Please, just trust me."

Kai observed the frightened tiger. The tiger seemed to be concerned, but what if it was all a trick to deceive him? Kai would never let himself fall to such tricks.

"No..." Kai muttered, once again struggling to his feet.

"What?" Ray asked. Kai's word was too quiet to hear.

"No!" Kai shouted, ignoring the pain that ran through his body as he pushed himself to his feet. "I won't trust anyone, even if it kills me."

"Don't be selfish, Kai!" Ray shouted, placing his hands on Kai's shoulders. "Why don't you trust us? We've tried to be your friends and to make your life better, but you shun us away! I can relate so much to you, but you shun me away. Why, Kai!"

"I don't do trust," Kai repeated, attempting to punch Ray in the face. Ray barely dodged the worst of the blow but found himself falling to the ground regardless.

"Kai!" Ray yelled after the escaping teenager, in hopes that his voice would stop the blue-haired teenager from running away.

"Don't...go..." Ray whispered to himself, hanging his head in shame. Even a tiger's claws couldn't save a phoenix from death.

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**Author's Note: Kind of a cliffhanger, I guess. Ray and Kai seemed a bit OOC, too, but if your friend just snapped and you wanted to save him/her, I guess anyone else would be acting out of character, too. At least, I probably would be. I'd like to thank everyone who at least read the story thus far, and I'd like to thank my reviewers for their kind reviews. It's easier to write with inspiration in mind.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I don't own Beyblade or any of its characters, although I own the plot.  
Warnings: Slight language, slight violence, implied abuse  
Author's Note: Wow, five chapters already. I'll admit that I've been slacking on my school work in order to write (but at least I get it done during the commercial breaks on Adult Swim). Sorry for any dumb grammar errors - it's hard to proofread things when listening to The Beatles.**

**All Will End - Part 1: Learning to Trust**

**Chapter 5: Wounds Laying Hidden**

There was a reason why Kai enjoyed the morning. First of all, it was quiet. He didn't have to worry about a drunken father breathing down his neck when they both happened to be home at the same time. Luckily, it hadn't happened often. Their schedules were vastly different, after all. Secondly, the mornings were a lot cooler than the afternoons. Kai could tolerate the mornings, evenings, and nighttime, but afternoons was what Kai dreaded the most. And third, he always looked forward to having his morning cup of coffee, although he had to learn how to make it over an open fire within the recent weeks.

The run-in with Max and Ray was forgotten, momentarily, in his mind. It was true that he had returned home to be greeted with a drunken punch to the face, but it wasn't even close to leaving a mark. Kai had let himself get kicked and hit several times before retaliating. Under his sleeveless shirt, several bruises and wounds laid hidden and out of sight. He was sure that a scar would be appearing on his father's chest in a few weeks. How stupid was that drunken man to allow his son to get a hold of a broken vodka bottle?

Kai's peace was shattered when he heard a shrieking of his name from behind him. It had been happening a lot lately, he noticed. People were afraid to walk up to him, so they shouted his name instead. Maybe they did that to give themselves more time to flee should Kai be in a particularly nasty mood. But those who knew Kai know that he would only attempt to harm those who hurt him. As long as you don't hurt him, physically or emotionally, it's safe to approach. The concept had yet to settle in the minds of the city's citizens.

Frowning, Kai turned around, focusing his crimson eyes on a female figure. After a single glance at her slutty clothing, he realized who it was. Believing that she was not about to be harmed, the female teenager jogged up to Kai. Kai was curious as to how Hilary was jogging in high heels. Crazy girl.

"Hi, Kai," Hilary said quietly, looking at the ground as she walked beside the crimson eyed teenager.

"Hn," Kai replied, not looking at all interested with the girl. There was no reason for him to be interested, really. It was her that went totally berserk on him a few days ago because of his clothing style. She was one of the last people on earth that he never wanted to see again.

"You're in a good mood," Hilary mumbled. Kai looked over at her face and noticed it was as red as a tomato, perhaps even more so. Was she blushing?

"I guess," Kai shrugged, his voice full of sarcasm. "What do you want?"

"I just wanted to say..." Hilary took a deep breath. "Sorry. I shouldn't have judged you like that."

Kai suddenly stopped and looked at Hilary, who walked a few more steps before stopping herself from going further. Hilary shivered under the intensity of his eyes. It was as if she was being engulfed in fire.

"Do you forgive me?" Hilary asked quietly, blushing even more.

"..." Kai was silent, having nothing to say. He made no remark or action that suggested that Hilary had achieved forgiveness in the eyes of the phoenix. Kai started walking again, ignoring the fact that Hilary was once again following him like a lost puppy.

"She just doesn't learn," Kai thought to himself, frowning slightly.

In a few more minutes, they reached the student parking lot of the high school. Hilary waved at a few of her guy friends, smiling.

"So, do you forgive me or not?" Hilary asked, stopping Kai by extending an arm in front of his chest. She was unaware that she had hit a new bruise, courtesy of Kai's drunken father.

There was something about pain that made Kai angry, uncontrollably angry. It was as if there was an obligation to fight back to whatever caused you the pain. It was as if the fire in his eyes was the essence of anger that just couldn't be controlled, even by the most reserved people. Kai wasn't the only one to possess this anger. Numerous others did, some of them parents. The anger caused them to beat their children until they came to their senses. Even if the physical wounds healed, the psychological wounds would remain deep for the rest of their lives.

Luckily, the pain wasn't bad despite the fact it was a new bruise. Kai tried to brush it off, stepping backwards to escape the situation. Unfortunately, Hilary persisted, keeping an arm over his chest, constantly making contact with the bruise.

"That's enough," Kai said with a tone as cold as ice, grabbing her wrist. The grip wasn't hard enough to break her bones, but it was enough to get his point across.

"Let go!" Hilary demanded, futilely trying to pull her wrist free.

"What the hell?" the question was asked by one of Hilary's guy friends, who took notice to the scene and was only a few feet from Kai. "Let 'er go."

Kai did as he was told, but regardless, Hilary's friend was still angry. If Kai had been raised normally, that anger would have sent him running. But Kai wasn't raised normally. His life was anything but normal. The anger that the other teenager possessed didn't make a hair on Kai's body raise in fear.

Ready for a fight, Kai ducked as the guy threw a punch at his head. The guy may have been powerful, but he was too slow. Even a man on stilts could dodge the punch. Regardless, Kai felt threatened, if only slightly so. He lifted his leg from the ground and slammed his knee into his opponent's ribcage. Thankfully, for Hilary's friend at least, there was no sickening snap of bones that Kai was famous for giving to the people that would dare rob his house in Russia.

Kai glanced at the body laying on the ground for a moment before sending both a glare and a scowl at his opponent's direction. He could see how his opponent shivered and curled himself into a ball as his instincts took over. Kai had no pity for Hilary's friend, although he was kind enough to show a bit of mercy. If he hadn't, and the bone had pierced a lung or heart, Hilary's friend would've died.

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"I'm telling you, it was nuts!" Hilary shouted, obviously excited but trying to hide it. "Max, you believe me, don't you?"

"Of course," Max responded, nodding his head. "It's just that it's not Kai's fault. He was trying to protect himself."

"But he grabbed my wrist!" Hilary protested, pointing to her slightly red wrist. It looked like she had been putting too much pressure on it, but there were no signs of physical abuse.

"You provoked him," Ray said, folding his arms over his chest. "You don't persist on pestering him after he tries to ignore you. He was only trying to get you to let him alone."

While Kenny and Tyson weren't participating in the conversation, they sent an occasional glare at Hilary before going back to playing solitaire or eating, respectively. Hilary noticed this and frowned.

"I thought you were my friends," Hilary said, faking a sniffle. "I guess not."

After she had stomped away, the teenagers at the table released a sigh. Hilary jumped to conclusions quickly. It wasn't that the teenagers at the table were mad at her, but they felt it wasn't right to proclaim abuse on a person that was protecting himself.

Ray looked up for a moment and saw that a certain blue-haired teenager was wandering into a cafeteria. The crimson eyes seemed to scan for a mostly empty table for heading directly for it. Ray, with his golden eyes, looked at his friends who nodded in approval. The unspoken message was understood: "Sit with Kai."

Cautiously, Ray walked to the table were Kai was sitting, whispering, "Excuse me," as he did so. People were just standing around in places where people needed to go through. They were impeding the flow. Regardless, Ray finally found himself sitting next to Kai.

"Hey," Ray greeted, knowing that Kai was already familiar with his voice. Besides, there was no one else around, no need to address anyone by name.

Kai nodded, his eyes opening slowly and gazing into Ray's golden orbs.

"I heard about what happened between you and Hilary," Ray said, trying to avoid the subject of yesterday's confrontation. "I wanted you to know that I'm not mad. Neither are Tyson, Max, or Kenny. If you want to sit with us -"

"I'd rather sit alone," Kai stated, cutting off Ray mid-sentence. With Kai's statement, the bell rang, causing the students to scramble off in the direction of their next class. It was with that sound that the phoenix and the tiger went separate ways.

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People seemed to be pestering Kai left and right today, and frankly, Kai was beginning to tire of the annoyances. He had a rough day, a rough night, a rough life. Would it be too much to ask to be let alone for more than a few moments at a time? Apparently not, as Ray's voice chirped, "Hey, Kai."

It seemed to be a tradition. Ray would greet him, and Kai would respond with a nod of the head. As always, that is what Kai did.

"What's up between you and Hilary today? All I heard is that you grabbed her wrist and hit her friend," Ray said, looking at Kai with questioning eyes. Ray was expecting to receive a glare in response, but instead, Kai spoke.

"She hurt me, so I retaliated. Her friend threatened me, so I hit him," Kai stated in a monotone voice. It was obvious that he didn't feel like talking about the subject.

"Better not push it," Ray thought to himself before saying, "Oh. I was just curious."

"Hn," Kai responded, continuing to walk towards the city park.

"Mind if I ask another question?" Ray asked, wanting the phoenix's permission in case another annoying question would cause him to become angry.

"Go for it," Kai said with a shrug, apparently not caring whether or not a question was asked as long as it didn't pertain to the morning's events. Much to Kai's annoyance, Ray's question pertained to yesterday's events instead.

"What happened after you ran off yesterday?" Ray asked curiously, sounding concerned for the phoenix's safety.

"I went home," Kai said, rolling his eyes. He was obviously trying to avoid the subject, but Ray continued to persist.

"What happened after that?"

"..." Kai debated whether or not to tell Ray of his home life but ultimately decided against it. Instead, he lied, "My stepfather wasn't home. I grabbed a bite to eat and left."

"Oh," Ray murmured, saddened by how secretive Kai seemed to be. He felt as though the blue haired boy wasn't telling the truth, but he decided not to push the subject further. It wasn't worth losing the phoenix's respect over prying questions.

"Do you like it here?" Ray asked, trying to stick with yes-or-no questions, for Kai's sake.

"I guess," Kai shrugged. "It's too hot."

"Yeah, it is," Ray agreed, smiling softly. He felt as though he earned a bit more of the phoenix's respect. "You came from Russia, so it's probably horrible being in a place so different."

Now it was Kai's turn to ask a question. "Why do you insist on trying to earn my trust even after I push you away?"

"I just feel that you need a friend," Ray responded.

"The real reason?" Kai questioned, knowing he wasn't getting the whole story.

"That is the real reason," Ray said quietly, blushing. He had been doing a good job hiding his feelings for the Russian until now. Who cares if his preference was deemed a sin by society? There was nothing wrong with it. Now, if only he could figure out what Kai's preference was...

"If you say so," Kai shrugged. The tiger followed the sidewalk as it turned to the right, glancing at the phoenix as he took the old, beaten trail into the woods.

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**Author's Note: Hilary and Ray both have a crush on Kai. Sometimes, if you act mean towards a person, it's hiding your true feeling (love), as is Hilary's case. And well, Ray...I always thought that he went better with Kai than Mariah. I think that Ray has a more sisterly love for Mariah than a real soulmate love. That's just me, though, and everyone knows how crazy I can be sometimes. Thanks for reading the chapter, and remember that reviews are welcomed.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I don't own Beyblade or any of its characters, although I own the plot.  
Warnings: Abuse, alcohol  
Author's Note: I really don't have anything to say, other than the traditional thanks to the reviewers and readers and the hope that you'll enjoy this chapter. **

**All Will End - Part 1: Learning to Trust**

**Chapter 6: Confusion in the Phoenix**

To those emotionally enlightened, they know that emotions aren't something to simply bottle up and ignore. Bottling up the emotions will, eventually, cause them to explode like cans of shaken soda. But, what about the people that don't feel emotions? Can they ignore something that is not there in their hearts? Kai Hiwatari would be a good specimen to test these questions upon.

"Hey," Ray greeted, starting off their tradition of a spoken greeting and a nod. However, this time, the latter part of the tradition was not carried out. Instead, Kai sat stoically, lost in a world of his own creation, a figment of his mind. His crimson eyes had lost the fire and the flames that burned within them. It was as if the phoenix had passed away in spirit, leaving the body of a hollow shell.

It was the absence of the sacred flames that worried Ray. Even in the worst of times, those flames would never disappear, not even for a moment. If anything, they seemed to grow more powerful, fueled by some hidden passion that was as unknown to Kai as it was to the rest of the world.

They say cats and other animals can sense when something is off with a person. But, who's to say that humans can't sense the same things? If one needed proof, look at Ray. Talk to him. He could tell something was wrong, very wrong, with Kai. The absence of fire was one thing, but it was also the fact that Kai had not uttered a single word or phrase in days, not even his trademark, "Hn." He had hardly acknowledged the presence of any person, although he still seemed to be aware of his environment. There was a war taking place in Kai's mind, a war that the phoenix was going to fight by himself.

"Hey," Ray repeated, now desperately trying to get a response from Kai. If he could get Kai to utter just one word, that would be enough to convince him that Kai was alright, or at least going to be alright. Instead, Ray was greeted by silence and a cold shoulder from the fallen phoenix. Ray could feel his heart sink in his chest. Things weren't going well.

Regardless of the cold shoulder, Ray continued to follow Kai's footsteps, to follow him wherever he went. He wasn't willing to let Kai alone for long. He would sit by Kai at the cafeteria's tables, looking for any signs of a soul within his body. Soon, Ray found himself caught in a desperate search to revive the phoenix's soul.

Eventually, Ray seemed to gave up and returned to his other seat - his seat by his friends. There, they discussed the issue of the lack of soul within Kai's body.

"Something's not right," Ray started, "but I don't know what. He won't even talk to me."

Even Kenny had his laptop closed, for a change. "I'm not good with giving advice, but I think you should just keep doing what you have been."

"Yeah, Chief's right," Max chirped, being characteristically optimistic despite the grim situation. "He'll have to give in eventually, after all. There's no such thing as a perfect defense."

Tyson, meanwhile, was listening to the conversation and making mental notes in his head.

"I just don't get it," Ray sighed. "He was fine up until a few days ago, until he had the fight with Hilary."

"Excuse me?" a female voice asked, its owner raising an eyebrow at Ray.

"Speak of the devil," Tyson muttered. "No offense, Hil."

Hilary nodded, although there was a hint of anger in her eyes. "Why were you talking about me?"

"I was talking about how you fought with Kai," Ray said, "and he closed himself off from us a couple days after the fight."

"I guess the rumors are true, then," Hilary said, taking a seat. "I've heard people talk about how Kai wasn't even talking to anyone, not even eating at lunch. I thought it was just gossip, but...I guess it's not."

"No, for once, the rumor mill is right," Tyson said, frowning.

"What if it's my fault?" Hilary asked quietly, mostly to herself than anyone else. "I...didn't make him like this, did I?"

"Of course not," Max said, trying to comfort Hilary. "It's not your fault."

"No one can change a person besides himself," Ray offered. "If Kai changed, then it was his own decision."

"I hope you're right," Hilary said. "I'd feel horrible if it was my fault. It doesn't matter; I still feel bad. I never thought I'd say this, but I actually feel sorry for Kai."

"I never thought you'd say that, either, Hil," Tyson chuckled. "Wish I had a tape recorder to record that. I need proof that your heart isn't a black hole for my science project."

"What!" Hilary huffed. "You're using _me_ for a science project!"

"Yeah!" Tyson chirped. "We were talking about black holes, and I immediately thought of you -"

Hilary slapped the back of Tyson's head before sarcastically remarking, "Thanks a lot."

Tyson almost answered before he realized she was being sarcastic. Embarassed, he closed his mouth.

"What do you want us to do?" Tyson directed the question at Ray, who was looking at the table's scratched and dirty surface.

"'Us?'" Ray quoted.

"Yeah," Tyson responded. "I think you're the only one who can save Kai. If you think you need our help, say so. I'm willing to help."

"Me too," Max and Kenny said at the same time. All eyes shifted to Hilary.

"...Count me in," Hilary said after a short silence.

"Thanks, guys," Ray smiled softly, his first smile in a long while. "I'm not sure what I have to do, but if there's anything you can do, I'll tell you."

* * *

What else could he do? He tried every technique of repelling people that he could think of, including the dreaded cold shoulder and death glare combination. Kai frowned in frustration as he began to think that nothing could repel the tiger-like Ray.

Yes, it was true that Kai wasn't feeling as well as he had when the school year began, but it wasn't like he accepted the help of others. As far as Kai was concerned, a problem is yours and yours alone. There are problems that you can't get help with. And as far as Kai was concerned, his entire life was a problem that couldn't be fixed. At least, that was the train of thought embedded in his mind from his alcoholic father.

Ray had even taken to following him like a lost puppy, causing him to lose the respect of Kai, slowly but surely.

There was nothing that could be done, Kai had decided. In recent days, he had become extremely submissive to his father - uncharacteristic for the stoic teenager.

Kai took the beatings without feeling remorse. He followed orders mindlessly, like a soldier in battle. There was nothing he could do to prevent his fate, or so he thought.

* * *

"Get me another bottle of vodka!" his father shouted in Russian. The volume of the man's voice threatened to burst Kai's eardrums.

"Yes, sir," Kai responded in his native tongue. It was uncharacteristic of him to be so submissive, especially to his own father. But, it was his own way to receive forgiveness for his biggest sin, his life.

"Hurry, boy!" the older man warned, snarling the words in a drunken manner. He tossed an empty bottle at Kai's head as a warning of what would happen if Kai should disobey.

Kai walked into the kitchen, acting calm around the dangerous flying projectiles being thrown by his father. The kitchen was dirty; the countertops were covered in dirt and grime and all sorts of nasty things, some of which Kai would not even dare to guess what they were.

The refrigerator was the same way, unfortunately. Although it was meant to be as white as newly fallen snow, the dirt and grime in the kitchen had turned it as black as the night. As for the contents of the refrigerator, there wasn't much to see other than several vodka bottles, each one full with the alcoholic beverage.

Carefully, Kai set a bottle of vodka on the counter as he set his mind onto the task of looking in the cupboards. Other than a few chipped dishes and cups, there wasn't much in the food category. Sure, there was a bit of food, although it was obviously spoiled rotten. Kai grimaced inwardly as he saw a rat scuttle around in the cupboard, munching on mold-covered crackers.

"Disgusting," Kai muttered, shaking his head and shutting the cupboard door.

"Where's my vodka!" his father demanded, his anger beginning to grow.

"Coming!" Kai called, walking into the room in which his father sat, bottle of vodka in hand.

"That's my boy," his father muttered, although he was glaring at Kai.

"Is there anything else you need?" Kai asked, looking towards the ground.

"What!" his father demanded, standing up suddenly with unexpected speed.

Kai, meanwhile, stood confused. What could he have forgotten? His mind was telling him to stay and get punished, but it was instincts that won the mental battle. Kai whirled around and dashed up the steps, leaving his drunken father stumbling after him.

Like a phoenix in flight, Kai leapt out the window with amazing grace. He landed in the bushes below and chose to remain totally and utterly silent. He heard his father cursing in Russian above, in his bedroom, but once the man had turned around and left the bedroom, Kai darted from the bushes and into a different part of town.

* * *

Kai kicked a stray pebble, watching it spin and bounce off of bumps, cracks, and ridges on the pavement. It was late at night, and no one was out on the streets other than him and thugs. Kai was confident in his abilities to protect himself should it be necessary.

Kai had expected the dark clouds above him to unleash merciless rain upon his head, but what he had expected never happened. Instead, a chilling breeze swept across the empty streets, causing trash from the city's people to be pushed around in random directions.

"Hey," a familiar voice chirped from behind.

"What are you doing here?" Kai asked, his voice as cold as ice.

"Just taking a walk," Ray shrugged as he smiled softly. "What are _you_ doing here?"

"Hn," Kai grunted, choosing to stay with Ray for a bit longer.

"Still not going to talk?" Ray asked, mostly to himself. "That's alright."

Kai raised a blue eyebrow curiously. "It's alright to not speak?" Kai thought to himself.

"How are things between you and your father?" Ray asked, trying to sound innocent despite knowing the horrors that happened in the household.

Kai growled something in Russian under his breath, words that Ray couldn't understand. What he did understand was the general meaning of the words that Kai had growled. Ray was going to ask for a translation but changed his mind.

Instead, he said, "I feel the same way."

* * *

**Author's Note: I didn't think this chapter was good at all. I apologize to my readers and reviewers for posting such a horrible chapter. Feel free to send me what you think, whether it be in review or email.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I don't own Beyblade or any of its characters, although I own the plot.  
Warnings: Smoking, language, abuse, self-mutilation  
Author's Note: I was a bit delayed in writing this chapter. My English teacher told me of a book that was going to be published with works written by students in high school. Since there's a deadline for sending in a story for that, I spent most of my time working on my original, fiction story, "Diary of a Tiger." Now that it's mostly done and out of the way, back to working on "All Will End!" Once again, I apologize for the horrible quality of the last chapter. I hope that this chapter makes up for it, though!**

**All Will End - Part 1: Learning to Trust**

**Chapter 7: The Stray Child**

_"If you are lost in your way,_

_Deep in an awesome story,_

_Don't be in doubt and stray;_

_Cling to your lonesome folly._

_Now, you're too close to the pain;_

_Let all the rain go further_

_Come, and kiss me in vain._

_Mother, oh do not bother._

_In the chorus of pain,_

_Taking you back to proper ways._

_It's so easy to find_

_If you could remind me..._

_Now, you are lost in your way_

_Deep in an awesome story._

_Come, I will find you again,_

_Kiss you for lonesome folly." -_"A Stray Child," from .hack/sign OST 1

The lyrics of the song echoed in his head as he sat in his last period geometry class, staring at the troubled Kai. The person who was looking was none other than Kai's guardian tiger, Ray Kon.

Animals can sense things, at least, that's what Ray's father had taught him. Ray didn't act like an animal, but that didn't mean he couldn't sense the aura of pain and despair flowing from the phoenix's thin and battered body. The first word that Ray had thought about the Russian was simple, "Strength." In these days, though, strength was what the Russian was lacking.

Kai was in a pathetic state. He coughed frequently and for long periods of time, making Ray wonder if Kai just happened to have a severe cough? What was suspicious, however, was the long sleeved shirts that Kai had taken to wearing in recent days. Kai, always clad in all ebony tight-fitting clothes, now chose baggy, long-sleeved shirts to wear, although they were black. Ray tried to ignore what his instincts were saying, instead saying to himself, "It's just a cold."

However, Ray was designated the "mother hen" amongst his friends, simply because it was in his nature to worry. Even the teachers and students around the Chinese teenager could tell that Ray was troubled, if only because Kai was troubled, as well.

Once again, his instincts were beginning to scream at him, saying, "It's not just a cold! Open your eyes, Ray!"

Ray would argue back, replying, "It's just a cold! When your body is under stress, you become sick easier! Kai's been living in stress for his whole life! An illness just happened to catch up to him, is all."

Even though Ray argued with himself, he couldn't help but feel his instincts were once again correct.

* * *

Through the highly placed windows in the high school restroom, sunlight from the rising sun shone through. The bright light caused the Russian teenager to squint as he desperately tried to apply his trademark blue triangles. He had not a chance to apply them the previous night, or even earlier in the morning; the wounds on his face, courtesy of his father, didn't allow for it. Absentmindedly, he wondered if facepaint in a wound could cause it to become infected. "Guess I'll find out myself," Kai muttered.

The students were already in their first period classes, some eagerly learning, others being there just because they were required to. As a result, Kai was left alone once more. Over the years, he had begun to accept lonliness of a friend, and he found over time that he had begun to embrace it over other people.

He sighed with despair as he pulled his last cigarette out from a pack that was only opened that morning. He threw the waste into the trash can, then turned his attention to lighting the cigarette with an almost-empty lighter. He inhaled, feeling the sensation of smoke filling his lungs. Now came the part he awaited, the part where he exhaled. The smoke came from his parted lips and nostrils like a phoenix breathing fire. He awaited the act of exhaling just so he had a reason to get more smoke into his lungs.

Sure, cigarettes were basically cancer on a stick, but why would Kai care? It wasn't as if anyone cared for him, or so he firmly believed.

His actions told of his belief. He had taken to wearing long sleeved black shirts in recent days. Truthfully, the sleeves irritated him to no end, causing him to resist the urge to roll them up, unless he risked anyone a glimpse of his wounds.

His father, drunken as ever, had gone insane on Kai a few days past. Kai had thought that the drunken man would have been at work for another hour or two, but instead, his father had the day off. As Kai walked into the filthy house, he was greeted by a knife and a fist. Angered, Kai had landed a blow or two to his father's stomach, although he took a lot of wounds himself in the process.

The ones most noticible were on his face, but luckily, facepaint hid them rather well - unless they bled. The crimson, therotically, would mix with the blue in the face paint, causing it to turn purple, or so he theorized. His father had given him another set of wounds on both arms, though those weren't as noticible or severe. Regardless, they were too suspicious, forcing Kai to wear longer sleeved shirts.

Though the intial set of wounds on his arms weren't terribly noticible, the second set was. Although, by the time he got the second set, Kai was already out of the abusive house and into his refuge in the city's woods. He had taken the knife that was wielded by his father, and in an effort to punish himself, he created trails of crimson blood down, up, and across his forearms. It was those wounds that caused him to wear the long sleeved shirts.

Kai was in a war with himself. On one hand, he loved to see the beads of crimson blood cascade down his arms like miniture waterfalls, though deep down, the sight was frightening. As he looked at the crimson waterfalls, he felt an overwhelming calmness take over his body, causing him to lose all desires, wants, and fears, if only for a moment.

But, the next part was the part he dreaded the most. The healing of the wounds and the scars left behind weren't all that bad. It was a process that Kai was used to and familiar with. The blood would dry, leaving behind scabs. Over the course of a couple weeks, the scabs would gradually peel off, depending on the deepness of the wound. Under the scab lied scar tissue. Kai knew the process.

It wasn't the healing of the wounds or the scars that he dreaded, but rather, it was the sense of a guilt and shame that washed over him after the calmness was swept away. Sometimes, the guilt and shame that cutting himself left behind was enough to make him cut again, as odd as it sounds. Once again, the calmness would eventually leave, giving way to guilt and shame. And again and again he would cut his arms, until he was dizzy and tired and ready to give up.

Kai had never truly given up. If that were true, he wouldn't be alive, breathing, at the moment in which Ray wandered into the bathroom.

"There you are," Ray said, forcing a tiny smile. "I was looking for you."

"What for?" Kai asked, his eyes narrowing as he flicked the cigarette with his finger. The ashes rained from the cigarette like black snowflakes. Ray observed the spectacle with sad eyes.

"Smoking isn't good for you," health-conscious Ray said quietly.

"I know," Kai responded, rolling his eyes slightly. "No," he thought to himself, "inhaling a bunch of cancer causing shit is just _wonderful_ for the body."

Ray inched closer to Kai, trying not to make the teen too uncomfortable. It was then that he realized the empty pack of cigarettes in the trash can.

Curiously, he asked, "...You didn't smoke a whole pack already, did you Kai?"

Almost immediately, Kai narrowed down his choices to two options. He could either tell the truth, or he could lie. The truth was what his instincts told him to do. It wasn't in him to lie to others unless it's to protect his well-being. Lieing to Ray wouldn't really affect Kai's well-being, so there was only one question in Kai's mind, "Why not?"

"No," Kai said, realizing that he was up since the middle of last night. Well, then, he would have to add the amount of smoking he did last night as well.

"That's good," Ray replied, relieved.

"I wasn't done," Kai growled, looking at Ray with crimson eyes. As hard as the Russian tried, the despair in his heart still shined through, and Ray was one of the few to see it.

"Sorry," Ray shrugged, biting his lip nervously.

"I had...one and a half packs so far today," Kai said, trying to do his math while he spoke.

"What!" Ray almost shouted. "One and a half!"

"I was up since last night, okay?" Kai tried to reason with the frightened tiger. "I needed something to do."

"That's still way too much!" Ray gasped. "You're going to die at this rate, Kai!"

"Would you rather me live and be insane, or have me dead and sane?" Kai asked, his tone serious.

"Kai...you're not insane," Ray tried to reason with the troubled teenager.

"I'm more insane than you think," Kai admitted with a shrug. His cigarette was mostly gone and now sat on top of the trash in the garbage can.

"How are you insane?" Ray asked. "You're the calmest person I know."

"Because, I smoke," was Kai's response.

"That's not true," Ray said, refusing to believe that smoking was Kai's way of staying calm.

"Smoking is the only thing that keeps me sane," Kai explained, looking up and down Ray's shaking frame. "Take it away...and you wouldn't want to see me then."

"Nonsense," Ray said, his golden eyes meeting crimson. "I'll help you stop."

"Stop what? Being calm and level-minded?"

"No," Ray responded. "I'll help you stop smoking. I promise, Kai."

"..." Kai didn't respond, thinking about the times in which promises were broken. Over the years, a promise was never kept to Kai. They were always broken, usually because of some irrational reason. And so, as a result, Kai began to be wary of people that made promises to him. Although Kai had never seen Ray break a promise before, he wasn't willing to stick around to see how truthful Ray would be.

"Kai?" Ray asked, putting his hand on the Russian's shoulder. He removed his hand from the broad shoulder when Kai glared at him. It wasn't the average "Glare of Death," but rather, a more frightening, a more anger-filled glare than Kai had ever mustered before.

"Kai!" Ray futilely called after the fleeing teenager. However, he decided not to push his luck any further. Who knows what Kai would do after giving him that glare?

"I can't quit smoking," Kai thought to himself as he walked back to his class. "I don't care if it's unhealthy. I need to prove that I'm better than my father, and that means I have to stay alive, even if how I do stay alive is slowly killing me."

He arrived at his class and took his seat, ignoring the teacher's friendly smile.

"It doesn't matter," Kai thought, "Promises are always broken, anyway."

* * *

**Author's Note: A bit shorter than what I would have liked, but I want my chapters to be readable in one sitting. I know I have a tendancy to make my chapters as long as the Wall of China sometimes. I hope you enjoyed the chapter!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I don't own Beyblade or any of its characters, although I own the plot.  
Warnings: Implied self-injury, language, angsty-Kai  
Author's Note: It took me forever to get started on this. I have to do a book report for history which is due some time in April. Then, I have to prepare for finals. I feel so rushed right now, but at least there's only two months left of school! Yay!**

**All Will End - Part 1: Learning to Trust**

**Chapter 8: Dance with the Devil**

Kai could have sworn he heard his earphones rattle as they blasted out a song from Breaking Benjamin. The music took him to a faraway land within his mind, where strife was never present and bliss could be found in every nook and cranny of the land. Alas, it was only a fantasy, something that could never be reached by humanity's struggles. The land was doomed to be kept as a fantasy within humanity's minds until the species became extinct. In Kai's mind, humanity was bordering on extinction, as was the planet.

The morning was relatively normal, save for the extra-broodiness of the depressed Kai. The sun was shining brilliantly in the sapphire sky above, warming the air to a comfortable temperature. There was no need for a jacket or even a long sleeved shirt. Nonetheless, a gentle breeze blew, causing trash from the city's residents to flutter down the street in a drunken manner.

As Kai walked to Phoenix High, he was noticing the tiniest details that had previously escaped his observations. Little insects scurried on the sidewalks to and fro, to destinations unknown. One such insect was turned over on its back and struggled to have its feet touch the ground. Kai, sadly, shook his head at the poor creature before choosing to ignore it and continue on with his life.

After losing himself in thoughts of despair, he found himself inside of the air-conditioned school. Hurriedly, he turned off his CD player and shoved it inside his backpack, hoping to hide the forbidden object before a staff member saw it in his possession. The school seemed to be chillier than normal, causing Kai to wonder if the air conditioning was increased in order to prepare for a hot day.

As he wandered the halls of the school, his thoughts began to veer in an alarming direction. He found himself suppressing growls and snarls of anger and hatred. Because he kept the animus inside and had not expressed it, it began to grow and grow. Kai almost literally began to see everything in shades of red.

Meanwhile, he was vaguely aware of someone - or something - poking his shoulder carefully. He could sense the fear radiating from the thing behind him and suppressed a smirk. He was taking more pleasure in intimidating others than normal. Suddenly, without warning, he turned around on his heel and unleashed a glare full of hatred towards the thing. The "thing" turned out to be Ray Kon.

"Hey, you alright?" Ray asked, forcing his voice not to shake despite the fear that the glare had given him.

"Hn," Kai grunted turning back around and following his original route and wherever it would lead. Ray, however, refused to be ignored.

"Something going on?" Ray asked, feeling relieved that Kai's glare was not focused upon him any longer. "Father troubles?"

"No," Kai growled, his eyes narrowing. His body began to tense as he struggled against the urge to hit Ray.

"...Alright," Ray said quietly, after a brief period of silence. He noticed how Kai's body trembled but refused to say another word. He could feel the anger flowing from the Russian's body.

* * *

The day had continued on, the sun rising and then beginning to fall in the afternoon sky, the clouds floating across the sky serenely. And yet, Kai and Ray sat in their dreaded geometry class, which both managing to pass, if only barely. Ray observed the Russian's body with golden eyes, noting the hostile posture that Kai had seemed to lock his muscles into.

Hastily, Ray ripped out a piece of lined paper from his notebook and scribbled a message on it with a pencil that needed desperately to be sharpened. He quickly proofread the short note and handed it to the angry teenager to his left, choosing to place the folded piece of paper on his desk.

With one gray eyebrow raised, Kai used his hands to gently unfold the note, as if it were delicate and fragile like an old porcelain antique from generations past. His eyes scanned the words, some of them foreign and not meaning anything. "Would you like to meet me in the park?" was what Ray had scribbled in boyish handwriting. Kai scribbled back in a pen, "Six p.m."

Ray noticed that the note was once again on his desk, folded neater than he recalled. Hopefully, his heart pounding, he opened the note and read the short reply, regarding the time in which the meeting was specified to take place. Ray smiled to himself and whispered, "Thank you." It was mostly to himself; he found himself surprised when Kai whispered back, "You're welcome."

The class now sat in silence, working on their homework dutifully, in an attempt to free up time after school. However, Ray couldn't find it within him to focus. His mind wandered from finding the parts of a triangle to possibilities of the meeting in the park. Would Kai truly show at the time he promised? Why had Kai agreed so hastily? The questions bothered his soul.

Soon enough, the final bell rang, signaling the end of another school day. Several students sighed in sweet relief as they hastily exited the classroom, some of them leaving their geometry books and homework behind! Kai was one of the last people out; Ray followed behind. He followed the Russian until the time came to go their separate ways; Kai to the forest, Ray to a house in the other part of town. Without a single word of goodbye, the two parted ways, secretly dreading the meeting that night.

* * *

The evening had set in, leaving the sky a mural of colors, from blue to purple to even pink. Somewhere, in the distance so far away, the golden sun was setting on the horizon, going to light another part of the small world. A chorus of cicadas began to sing, their odd noises somehow forming a song in the twilight amongst them. A Chinese boy sat alone on the bench, his eyes closed as he breathed deeply in and out in an effort to calm his nerves.

"Where's Kai?" Ray wondered quietly, watching a gentle breeze sweep dead leaves down the sidewalk. "He didn't forget...did he?"

"Of course not," came a grunt from behind him, with a slight Russian accent. "What am I, Tyson?"

"Sorry for doubting you," Ray apologized, unsure of whether or not he truly meant the words.

"Whatever," came Kai's response, taking a seat next to the Chinese teenager. Nervously, he folded his muscular arms over his chest, waiting for Ray to start the dreaded conversation.

"So..." Ray began awkwardly, wondering how to start.

"Why'd you invite me here?" Kai asked, trying to help Ray out.

"I invited you here because...this is going to sound odd, but something seems wrong with you, Kai."

"There's nothing wrong," Kai said, although it sounded as though he was trying to convince himself.

"Are you sure?" Ray questioned. "I can help you, if you want."

"No..." Kai whispered, mostly to himself. "I don't need help," he declared as he clenched his fists.

"Then why are you acting different?" Ray asked, unknowingly putting more pressure on the Russian teenager.

"I-" Kai stopped midsentence, unaware of what he should say next. Should he reveal his thoughts and feelings to the person that followed his every footstep? Or should he hide his beliefs and live a life of being secluded from the rest of humanity?

Kai was silent for a few moments more, before shouting, "It's all going to end, Ray! _I'm_ the end of everything!"

Ray stared at Kai, wide-eyed, unaware of how to act towards Kai's sudden outburst. Had the teenager been pushed too far, both by his own father and by Ray? "Kai?"

"No!" Kai shouted again. "Stop! _I'm_ the ultimate fuck-up! Nothing's right with me!"

"Kai!" Ray shouted back, throwing himself towards the said teenager. Kai stepped out of the way and continued to shout.

"Everything's fucked up!" Kai declared loudly. "The world, my life...myself! We're all going to die!"

"Come on, Kai! Snap out of it!" Ray begged, pushing himself off the cold ground and once again throwing himself at Kai. "Nothing's wrong with you! Why do you think that something is?"

Once again, there was silence. Kai made no further outbursts. A breeze blew ominously through the air. And still, nothing made a sound. The world seemed to be mute.

It was then that Kai dropped to his knees, defeated. He allowed his forearms to be shown openly, without them being crossed against his muscular chest. Scars covered them like the forest floor is covered by trees and their leaves. They criss-crossed over each other and some were seemingly placed in random places.

As Ray gazed at the scars, shocked and feeling sick, Kai told him with a cold voice and an indifferent tone, "It's my punishment."

* * *

**Author's Note: I got sidetracked right in the middle of the chapter. Stupid research papers...and book projects. I hoped everyone enjoyed this chapter! What do **_**you**_** think will happen next?**


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I don't own Beyblade or any of its characters, although I own the plot.  
Warnings: None  
Author's Note: So, I have a document where I keep the outlines for my chapters. I open it as usual, and then pop ups an error about an access violation? I hit "OK" and my outline is opened - but there's nothing there! Then I said, "No, it didn't!" as I reopened the file. Luckily, the outline is just fine - all 32 chapters + epilogue.

**All Will End - Part 1: Learning to Trust**

**Chapter 9: Love and Crushes**

Someone once remarked that suicide is a blessing rather than a curse. Young Kai had scoffed at that remark, for he knew that suicide was a sin that which your soul will be punished. But now, as the days became monotone and lacking variety, and the edge of the knife's blade nearly screaming his name, the Russian teenager found himself closer to the edge. What lied in the metaphorical valley below, an eternity of happiness or an eternity of sorrow?

Antidepressants, should they have been given to the teenager, would have made all the difference. Granted, it would not have filled the void within his soul, but it would make it less painful. Being without the blessed effect, the agony overflowed his senses, mentally and physically. His mind would wander dangerous paths and create devious schemes, the end result being his death.

What a pitiful creature he had become.

Despite the sun's rays irritating his sensitive pale skin, Kai sat underneath an ancient tree, enjoying the little shade it provided. The building beside him, the school's cafeteria, was ever so loud with the chatter and shouting and screaming of excited students. Were sundaes such a big deal to them? It would remain another unsolved mystery, like the famous "which came first, the chicken or the egg."

Soft footsteps were also beside him and approaching at a somewhat slow pace. Red emotionless eyes glared at the maker of the noise. Despite seeing that the noise maker was Ray, the glare was still fixated. Would it become permanent after hating the world for so long?

"Hey," Ray chirped with a small smile. He had to admit that being around Kai was even more awkward than before. Ever since Kai had shown his scars for the tiger to see, things were no longer the same. He doubted they would ever return to normal, and so he tried to make the best of the confusing situation.

Kai remained stoic, silent. The glare lightened ever-so-slightly, hardly noticeable to most eyes. The Russian's muscles tensed for an unknown reason, perhaps instinct? He acted as though he were an animal, cornered and surrounded, to be nothing more than an experiment for both gods and men alike.

"Fine, don't talk," Ray offered with a gentle smile. His intuition was screaming at him, "Hurry! Before it's too late!"

Kai opened his mouth to speak but quickly shut it before a sound escaped. Noting this, Ray asked, "Kai? I need your help."

The glare finally ceased to exist, and a blue eyebrow lifted curiously. It was as if he wanted Ray to speak more.

"I'm guessing you want me to talk," Ray shrugged before continuing. "Well...you know how I tend to care about people I don't know well, don't you Kai?"

The blue-haired Russian teenager nodded suspiciously, crimson eyes focused on the other boy.

"I know someone who is kind of a friend and kind of not," Ray explained. "We talk, but we don't hang out. I try to get her to come out of her shell, but she doesn't want to."

Kai resisted the urge to raise an eyebrow after he heard the word, "Her." Who knew that Ray was such a lady's man?

"She's been acting oddly for a while. But that's not all. I have a crush on her, Kai. I know she won't return the feelings...but what can I do?" Ray questioned, the last part being directed mostly at himself than at Kai.

Minutes slowly passed, and the pair sat in absolute silence. Not a word was being uttered by either one. If a passerby were to listen carefully, he could hear nothing but the gentle breeze and quiet breathing. Finally, the silence was broken by a grunt from Kai.

"Hn," Kai had grunted, closing his eyes thoughtfully. Who was he to give advice, when he could hardly sort out of his own life? Ignoring the thought, he opened his mouth and began, "Tell her you love her."

"What?" Ray asked stupidly, Kai's sudden sentence taking him by surprise. "Just...flat-out tell her?"

"Yeah," Kai agreed. "Wing it. If you admit your feelings first, maybe she won't be so shy."

The words seemed so irrational to Ray. He liked to plan ahead and see how the other person would react to certain things, like giving him or her flowers or chocolates. Had the words stemmed from Kai's opinions, or had they arrived from experience? The questions remained unspoken.

* * *

Despite the weatherman's claims that there was no chance of precipitation that day, dark storm clouds gathered overhead. School had let out a few hours ago, and Kai had chosen to relax in the park, not having anything else to do. Although the gray bundles of fluff above him blocked the sun's rays, the atmosphere was still unbearably humid, despite the temperature having taken a plunge into the low 60's.

Words echoed inside his mind, recreating the conversation that he had taken part in earlier that day. The conversation, of course, was the one which he shared with Ray during lunch period. Why had Ray turned to him, the stoic Russian, for advice on that sort of issue? Kai had no need for love; he neither desired it nor gave it. It was another word to him, a word that meant nothing. Kai's actions had always spoken louder than his words. He was sure that it would not change until the day he died - of course, he can't do much if he's buried underground.

Kai was feeling peaceful, at least, as close to peaceful as he could get. After being relentlessly bullied since day one of his life, there was always a sense of paranoia around him, although others could hardly sense it. They were oblivious to his thoughts, feelings, and opinions, although he was lacking in the second department. He merely acted on logic and experience, and sometimes instinct, but never by feelings. He would not allow himself to be blinded by them, and therefore hurt by them.

Yes, he was more complex than most people could see.

The silence was shattered by a large rumble of thunder overhead. Kai, laying on a wooden bench, opened his eyes in slight panic but shut them once he realized he was in no danger. There was no one leaning over him, doing unspeakable things to him, no one trying to injure him. No, Kai would not allow himself to be hurt again by another person. If he were going to be hurt, it would be by his own hand.

After the thunder's mighty growl, an unsettling silence once again surrounded Kai. His instincts were screaming at him, telling him to flee to a shelter or some other sanctuary, for he was in danger. Yet, his logic disagreed, arguing that there was no one and nothing around to hurt the Russian teenager. The both of them argued back and forth, until Kai once again opened his crimson eyes after feeling a poke on the shoulder.

He barely restrained his arm and hand, barely holding back the urge to lash out and break the offending limbs that were attacking him. Luckily for the Chinese teenager, he was uninjured. He had been very fortunate. As he greeted Kai, he seemed to ignore the heavy clouds overhead. Kai nodded his head and closed his eyes again, on alert for any sudden movement.

Ray spoke again, "I heard it wasn't supposed to rain today." It was obvious he was trying to make small-talk with Kai, and that made the Russian suspicious. Whenever Ray began a conversation with odd, random things, it usually meant that he was going to attempt to find a way into his heart and melt the ice around it.

"Hn," Kai responded, watching the Chinese teenager with slightly paranoid eyes. Of course, Ray did not notice, just like every other human being on the planet. Kai's emotions were so masked in his eyes that they seemed to be emotionless, but they were still there - just barely noticeable.

"So, what are you doing out here?" Ray asked, shifting his weight from one leg to the other. He desired to sit on the bench, but unfortunately Kai had spread himself over its surface.

"..." Kai was silent, not knowing what to say and not wanting to talk. He made up an excuse, "Just because."

"Oh. I see," Ray said quietly, his weight finally settling on his left leg. His arms were folded behind him, trying to make himself seem less intimidating - although he genuinely doubted that the Russian teenager could feel intimidation. After all, Kai was the one who could scare nearly anybody with a well-timed glare. The silence felt awkward to him, so Ray asked another question. "Are you alright? I know I've already asked, but..."

"I'm fine," Kai grunted, the response automatic for him. Allowing himself to admit a problem to others would end up hurting him in the end...or so he believed.

"Are you sure?" Ray prodded, his golden eyes concerned.

"Just fine," Kai assured him, ignoring the appearance of the other teenager's eyes. They seemed sad, almost as sad as Kai was.

"Okay, if you say so," Ray shrugged. It wasn't like him in the least to leave Kai alone without trying to get him to open up more, but he felt as though all the prodding in the world wouldn't work that day. Defeated, Ray smiled and said, "Alright, see you later, Kai. Try not to stay out in the rain!"

And there he went, almost skipping down the path. What a disguise the cat-like teenager could put on!

As Kai watched him leave, he felt a small pang of sadness, somewhere deep in his heart. It was tiny, smothered by the block of ice that defended his soul. How the feeling had managed to form was beyond Kai's comprehension, which made him even more determined to make the ice thicker. He would be emotionless, but he did not thrive on feelings. It wasn't how he worked.

Somewhere even deeper than the pang of sadness was a scintilla of being abandoned. He was like a puppy, and Ray was his master. He was being left alone in the unforgiving rain, in the uncaring world. It seemed as though Ray had quit caring about him. Kai couldn't even decide if that was a good thing or a bad thing - he wouldn't have to deal with the annoyances, but he would have to deal with dying alone.

Death was clouding his mind. He shivered as he thought about the topic. Death. What was there to speak about? For Kai, death was many things. First of all, it would be ceasing to exist. Along with his physical death would be the dying of his emotions and feelings, despite their tiny size. His cunning mind would also disappear. He had not left a mark on this world to be remembered by. He would die and be forgotten, like so many others before him which were as talented as Mozart and Einstein.

Death was also spiritual to Kai. The whole concept of being reincarnated was even more so. He would be buried and would arise again in another body, another life. He would die in a great blaze of fire that could never be controlled by firefighter, and from his ashes would arise his soul, which would eventually enter another body.

He was a phoenix, down to his very soul. It was his duty in life to kill himself and arise again, just as the phoenixes had when they had existed a long time ago.

There was nothing to worry about. That was what he made everyone around him believe. After all, no one should worry about him. All will be fine in the end.

* * *

Author's Note: This was kind of a filler chapter, which should account for its length. Next chapter should be a bit longer, though. Hope you enjoyed, and feel free to leave a review!


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: I don't own Beyblade or any of its characters, although I own the plot.  
Warnings: Self injury, suicide  
Author's Note: Double update this time, so instead of getting just Chap. 10, you also get Chap. 11. This chapter is a bit angsty.  
**

**All Will End - Part 1: Learning to Trust**

**Chapter 10: Death of a Phoenix**

The dark, heavy clouds were an omen. They warned of an intense storm, of a tragic event. Just when the sun should have risen from the eastern sky, cold rain fell towards the thirsty earth. Eventually, it had enough to drink, but the sky continued crying. Puddles of water formed in holes in the ground and sidewalks of the city. Benches were wet and would not be used for some time. Children were out in the rain, frolicking and playing, taking joy from the rare moment.

Ray, however, was not outside playing. He was inside his mother and father's cozy little house. He was laying on a soft couch in the family's living room, with a warm and fuzzy blanket wrapped around his body. He was not cold, but it felt good to have some warmth around him. For a moment, his mind wandered from the book he read, wondering if this is how it feels to have Kai's muscular arms around him. He shook the thought from his head with a scowl.

"That's disgusting," he tried to convince himself. "Shouldn't be thinking about that. Gotta study..."

"Are you alright, honey?" came a woman's voice from the kitchen. It clearly showed concern.

"I'm fine, mom," replied Ray, sighing softly before returning to his book.

* * *

He was not cold or warm. He did not shiver or sweat. Butterflies fluttered inside him, raising his anxiety to new heights. The rain was a purification rite of sorts; it cleansed his body. It removed the sins from his mortal flesh but could not erase them from his mind. The thoughts, so forbidden, overwhelmed him. They drove him insane until he could not take any more torture.

His hand held on to the knife. The blade was a sharp as a monster's teeth. His muscles worked so slowly and delicately, the steel blade approaching his left wrist. Suddenly, with a renewed effort, the pale skin was ripped open. Only seconds later did crimson liquid flow from the wound. He trembled in unexplainable bliss. And yet, his red eyes were as emotionless as can be.

"Damn," Kai swore, attempting to clench his left hand. The pain grew nearly unbearable as he did so. "Not that..."

He ceased the effort of moving his injured wrist, and his hand went limp. He knew, deep inside, that the consequences of this sin were great. The scar would be everlasting on his mortal body, as well as his inability to manuever his hand as he had once been able to. His wrist would never fully recover and would be doomed to be handicapped. It was one more cut that was the ultimate proof of his state of mind.

* * *

The book was slammed shut, the sound echoing around the quiet house. His mother had left on an errand for food, otherwise known as grocery shopping. His content mood had suddenly left minutes ago, leaving him confused. It was just a rainy day; Kai would be strong enough to survive. The phoenix was as healthy as an ox and would never succumb to illness of the physical sort. Mentally, he was vulnerable, but his heart was made of ice. If nothing could be let in, nothing could hurt him. Or so, this was the theory.

His confusion grew into anxiety. He kicked soft blanket from his body and abandoned the novel on the couch where he once sat. He paced around the room, frantic for something. He did not know what that "something" was. However, he was aware that he was needed somewhere at that very moment. The urge told him to go to the park, close to the forest. Something was happening there. Something, it told him, involving Kai.

He did not bother to grab his raincoat before leaving the cozy house behind him. He rushed into the freezing rain, hoping that it was not too late.

* * *

His right hand shook wildly, his fingers barely able to grasp any object. It was a miracle, or perhaps not, that he was able to hold the gun at all. He pointed it towards his head and shut his eyes tightly. He would finally be forgiven, even if he went to that place called Hell.

He held his breath as his cold finger twitched. The gunshot echoed around him. He briefly wondered if he could become deaf by the sheer volume of that. But even the gunshot could not compare to the loudness of his scream.

* * *

It would be frightening to anyone, despite what they claim. A gunshot followed by an agonizing scream would always be terrifying. These two sounds are what made Ray's heart skip a beat.

He had arrived at the park in record time, to the place where their lives always seemed to go astray. He was sweating despite the rain. His bad feelings suddenly worsened.

He rushed towards the sound of the scream; the grass gave way to mud. It departed from the ground and landed on his clothes, staining his jeans and sneakers. He did not care. He continued running on and on, and when he began to think that he went too far, he suddenly spotted a black form that was laying collapsed in the mud.

He did not slow until he reached the body. He gasped when he realized its identity but did not allow that to get in the way of his personal first-aid. His golden eyes darted around wildly, searching for the source of the phoenix's pain. The bloody knife lay by Kai's side, next to the gun. Blood, from the deep gash in Kai's left wrist, fell to the ground and mixed with rainwater. Kai was fortunate enough to be alive, although he was scarcely breathing. The plan had failed; the bullet was lodged in his right bicep.

"Kai?" Ray sobbed, tears mingling with raindrops. "Wake up, Kai! Please, don't leave..."

Realizing that the teenager had a slim chance of awakening, he left the gun and knife behind. Kai was not left to die in the mud. Ray carried him on his back, the extra weight hardly affecting him at all. The Russian had lost some weight, Ray noted with some alarm. How could he have not noticed?

The sidewalk was wet, and as much as he hated to, he laid Kai down onto the concrete surface. He reached into his pocket and removed a cell phone from its depths. He hurriedly opened it, dialed in a few familiar numbers and awaited a response. A woman's tired voice was on the other end.

"I need an ambulance," Ray said. "My friend tried to kill himself."

It wasn't long before blaring sirens approached the teenage boys.


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: I don't own Beyblade or any of its characters, although I own the plot.  
Warnings: mentioning of suicide attempts and self-injury  
Author's Note: Naturally, there is a bit of a time skip between the last chapter and this one. However, it should be fairly easy to catch up on what took place during that unknown amount of time. It turns out that Ray has a knack for explaining.**

**All Will End - Part 1: Learning to Trust**

**Chapter 11: Mother Hen**

The darkness was an all-consuming monster. It was his master. It whipped him for misbehaving; it punished him for the good things he had done. It was forever unsatisfied. No matter what he did, he could never please it...

He opened his eyelids slowly, his crimson eyes darting around in a frantic attempt to answer unspoken questions. His mind was full of them at the moment. "Where am I?" he spoke, mostly to himself. His voice came out as a whisper at best. Even he, with his sensitive ears, could barely hear it. Though the question was no longer unspoken, an answer had yet to make itself apparent to him.

It was obvious that he was in a room, but where was that room? Was it in an old woman's house? Couldn't it be a shelter for the homeless? Could it be his room in Hell? Or...dare he think it...was it a room in a hospital?

The thought made him lose control of his emotions, and he suddenly became crazy with curiosity. In the panic, his thin body became coated in a layer of sticky sweat. He shivered to warm himself up, but it did little good. Despite the sheets and blankets that smothered him, despite the snug clothes that hugged his body, he could not escape the cold.

It was then that he realized that he was still laying down. He then took notice of the soft mattress, and thus concluded that this place was bad. His trembling body finally stilled for a moment. All was well, at least, as well as it could be. Ignorance was never a bliss for Kai...it was an alternate way of spelling the horrible word "disaster."

The creaking of the ancient hinges on an old wooden door startled him. However, instead of trembling like a weak puppy, his muscles tensed. It was almost automatic. He was ready for anything physically, but was he ready to conquer his emotional demons that fed off of his suffering? A figure in white clothes softly padded into the room like a tiger. Its golden eyes scanned the crimson eyes of Kai. In the teenager's eyes was expressed concern and relief.

The teenager came to sit on the bed, next to the tense Kai. The phoenix glared at the teenager, who had yet to be affected. Little did Kai recall that the teenager sitting beside him had already experienced the glare treatment to the point where it had no effect whatsoever.

"Are you alright?" asked the teenager, brushing black bangs from his own face away. His gaze moved up and down Kai's body, making him uncomfortable. It was as though the phoenix was exposed and ready for dissection. "You had me scared."

Kai opened his mouth to speak, but the only audible word was, "Ray?"

"Yes, Kai; it's me," Ray smiled gently at the fallen phoenix. In the depths of crimson eyes, he saw no fear. Kai had been through Hell and back, almost literally. And yet, the phoenix continued to fight on wildly, as feral as an untamed animal.

Kai attempted to reply, but this time, no sound emerged from his mouth. However, pale pink lips still formed the words that were not voiced. Ray understood. He could understand without looking at Kai. The teenager simply wanted to know where he was, how he was alive, and how he could escape. Ray had prepared himself for this moment. He was ready, or so he told himself.

The Chinese teenager took a deep breath before beginning, hoping to calm himself. He was incredibly anxious, almost unbelievably so. But, this was not a time to be afraid. This was not the time to hide, but rather, a time for action!

"Well," Ray began uncertainly, his plan long gone, "After you shot yourself, I heard a scream. I knew it had to be you, so I went towards the source of the noise. And...I found you. You had a knife and a gun by your side, and your wrists were cut open."

"I know about my injuries," Kai cut in.

'That's because you did it to yourself,' Ray thought.

"Continue," Kai snapped bitterly.

"I dragged you to the street and laid you on the sidewalk. I called 911, and they sent an ambulance for you. I wasn't allowed in, because I'm not a blood relative. I got my mother to drive me there. You were in pretty bad shape, Kai."

"Obviously."

"You stayed there for a few days. They performed surgery on your wrist and your arm, to repair the damage. They said you need physical therapy... You weren't awake much, either. Your father came -"

"...I doubt that."

"He did, Kai. Your father came and signed the release forms when you were awake. The staff thought you were good to go, but they were worried about your, well, emotional well-being. They were going to send you to an asylum."

"What a surprise," Kai snorted.

Ray was now ignoring Kai's remarks. "I didn't want that to happen, Kai. I know you've had a bad life, and I wanted to make it better! So, I protested. I voiced my concerns and your situation, excluding your father, and for some reason, they allowed you to come home with me."

"Well, I'll be going now," Kai said, trying to get up.

"Not so fast," Ray said gently as he coaxed Kai into staying on the bed. "There's more."

"Hmph."

"Your father is no longer your legal guardian. By law, my mother is your guardian. So, no more living in the woods. This is your home."

"Can't make me stay."

"Do you want to go to an asylum?" Ray snapped, annoyed. He quickly calmed his temper. "Sorry about that, Kai. But you have to stay...it's part of the contract."

"Contract?" Kai asked. "What contract?"

"The contract you signed along with your father. One, you are required to live here. Two, my mother is your legal guardian. Three, you must quit smoking. Four, no more hurting yourself. And this goes without saying, but no more suicide attempts."

"No..." Kai whispered. "I... can't..."

"You already agreed," Ray reminded him.

"I wasn't in a well state of mind! I can't even remember signing the paper," Kai protested. "This is not fair..."

"Kai?" Ray asked cautiously, moving closer to the phoenix. Something was about to go terribly, terribly wrong.

It wasn't as bad as the suicide attempt, thank goodness. Yet, the sight of the phoenix was just as heart-wrenching. It hurt just as bad.

Kai lay on the bed, sobbing helplessly. Where had he gone wrong? He did not deserve such kind treatment after nearly committing the greatest sin of all! Ray put a gentle hand on the phoenix's shoulder and whispered quietly, "It'll be fine, Kai. Everything will be fine."

It was a while before Kai had settled down. The stress of his life, all the pain and failure, had finally caught up to him and pushed him down with unbelievable force. Finally, the sobs had ended, and the tears had been brushed away by a soft tissue, courtesy of Ray.

"Kai...you need to go to sleep, now," Ray said, squeezing the phoenix's shoulder as if to comfort him. "School is in the morning."

"Do I have to go?" Kai asked, almost like a little child.

"No, not for a while, Kai," Ray smiled. "Not until you're fully recovered."

Kai scoffed, "That will never happen."

* * *

Author's Note: Sorry for the short chapters lately. I try to make them a decent length, but it doesn't always go as planned.


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: I do not own Beyblade or any of its characters.  
Warnings: None  
Author's Note: Wow, I've been lacking inspiration for this for the longest time. I apologize for the long, long wait for this chapter. I found a new "spark" of inspiration to work with for this, and hopefully I won't lose it too quickly! Thanks to all who reviewed! It means so much to me.

**All Will End**

**Chapter 12: Ascension to Heaven**

The weather outside contrasted with his normally pessimistic mindset. While the clouds drifted serenely in the wide expanse of blue, a certain Chinese teenager found himself inside a small kitchen, surrounded by enticing scents. His mouth watered in greedy anticipation, despite his mind arguing that it was a simple meal and did not deserve such an exaggerated reaction.

Ray glanced up from his work for a brief moment and unconsciously related his mood to the white fluff in the sky.

There would be no intense struggle. But he didn't know that.

Setting the bowls of ramen on the kitchen table with a sigh of contentment, he suddenly hollered, "Kai! Your lunch is ready!"

The other teenager's swift response to hearing his name was unexpected. Almost immediately after hearing it, the sounds of heavy footsteps on the staircase filled Ray's cat-like ears. For an unknown reason, Kai hesitated after reaching the end of the steps but before he moved himself toward the kitchen. His back was against the setting sun's light, a dazzling red against the seemingly frail body of the Russian teen.

Wild golden eyes managed to capture this sight. It was as stunning as watching the great phoenix rise from the ashes from his funeral pyre.

The image still in his mind, Ray was surprised he could speak. "It's still a bit hot."

Kai's lips twisted in a bizarre motion, not quite a smile but nowhere close to a smirk. Its presence was nearly undetectable, even to those with the best of eyes. Regardless, Ray noticed its sudden appearance and disappearance. Inside his chest grew a feeling of joy. He could not pinpoint the reason _why_ such a mannerism would extract such a response from his heart.

Perhaps it was more simple than he could believe. After all, mankind is prone to complicating the easiest tasks, mutating them into monsters of mental anguish.

Much like Ray was the personification of two eternally battling forces, Kai was also the personification of something great and revered. He was the human phoenix.

"You haven't been smoking much lately," Ray said, somewhat awkward. Kai went into the kitchen and sat in his chair, Ray following suit afterward. Golden eyes noticed that Kai was surprisingly calm. A few weeks ago, Kai would have been defensive about such a talk...

"Yeah. I'm going cold turkey," Kai explained, his voice mostly unwavering.

"Whatever works, right?" Ray smiled at his friend.

Kai's lipped again twisted in the same bizarre motion as before. But the Russian teenager didn't say anything after that, just merely nodded his head and dug his fork into the steaming noodles. From time to time, he kept his crimson eyes focused on Ray before letting his gaze drift away again.

Though Kai found solace in silence, Ray was not used to its presence. He liked to fill the air with noise, even if it was meaningless. Whether it was the radio or the television, something needed to be fulfilling the task.

It was only the unexpected, odd noises that made goosebumps rise on Ray's skin.

"Can I ask you a question?" Ray asked, though he had indeed just asked a question, so he should have asked to ask _another_ one.

"You just did," Kai smirked. Ray grinned at Kai's subtle form of a joke. "Shoot."

"What did you eat in Russia?"

Kai paused for a moment, as though internally debating whether or not to give Ray the longest list he could think of.

"We ate a lot of soup and stew," he stated. "Then again, we could probably make a soup out of anything - noodles, fish, vegetables, cabbage, meat broth. Those are the most common ones. Sometimes we served it cold. Meat was sometimes served cold as a snack."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah. Back in the old days, before health nuts started complaining that it was too dangerous to do."

Ray's smile hid the mischievous glint in his golden eyes. He collected the empty bowls with gentle hands.

"I need to go to the grocery store," Ray said.

"You just went yesterday," Kai protested.

"Eh. I... _forgot_ a few things." Ray shrugged, still grinning. "You coming?"

"Why not? I think I _forgot_ some things, too." Kai smirked.

It was only a few hours later that Kai found himself once again sitting at the kitchen table. Friendly smells drifted toward his nostrils, and if he closed his eyes, he could almost imagine himself in Russia.

But, in his imagination, the image wasn't him alone in the snow, making a fire to warm himself. Ray was there. He was helping, too.

* * *

Author's Note: Man, I added lots of little details in this chapter. The last two sentences are somewhat symbolic. I hope you enjoyed the chapter! AWE is back! With any luck, I should have at least one update per month. At least you won't have to wait six months in between chapters now, right?


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